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Post by wildre on Jul 15, 2005 22:59:40 GMT -5
mqvc8, many of those condos were purchased at pre- construction prices, for investments. So it stands to reason that if you can sell them for $100,000 or more the next year then sell. Many of the new owners have no interest in The Wildwoods other than to make a profit, and move on. Just like many of the out of town developers. JMHO
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Post by Robert on Jul 16, 2005 3:34:44 GMT -5
But all the money in the world cannot bring back what is lost. It's a shame that greed takes priority over historic preservation so that some old motel owners can take the money and run and retire to Florida with several hundred thousand dollars. The old motel owners don't care, they'd be glad to take the money and retire. The developers don't care, they're probably not from the area so they don't give a crap what they bulldoze. What happened to Steve Izenour's vision? If this turns out to be a big mistake, it will be too late because the damage is already done. Same goes with the piers. 99% of the classic rides were lost to "progress" or fires, and the Morey's are basically the only game in town so they call the shots on what happens with Hunt's, the Golden Nugget, etc. The Nickels and Sportland probably don't stand a chance on competing with the Morey's, they might as well give up. Dr. Blood's will never reopen, the castle will never be rebuilt. I'm feeling very pessimistic about WW right now. If I had a choice, I'd go to Seaside or Ocean City, MD this year. Haven't heard of any mass bulldozing/construction there, and they have some decent dark rides.
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Post by wildre on Jul 18, 2005 7:46:27 GMT -5
From today's AC Press
July 18, 2005
High-rise plans vex Wildwood neighbors By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716, E-Mail
WILDWOOD - What should have been a summer of relaxation has turned into the summer of stress for members of the Rising Sun Condominium Association.
"It's not a vacation. It's a nightmare," said Janie Arena, one of the owners of this group of six Spencer Avenue condominiums. "We've been consumed by this mess this summer."
The mess she refers to is the news that a high-rise hotel, like two already approved for construction in town, is being planned for her street. The zoning board will continue a hearing on the plan July 25.
The newly built, multi-family homes and older residential properties that line the 200 block of Spencer Avenue could soon be dwarfed by their new neighbor, the Waypoint Beach Club, which, according to a zoning board application, would rise about 24-stories high and 275 feet.
"If I wanted Atlantic City, I'd go to Atlantic City," said condo owner Barbara Kato, a Marlton resident who bought her condominium in February.
Standing on her third-floor deck Sunday, Kato said she came to Wildwood and this spot in particular because of its closeness to the beach, the views of the Boardwalk amusements and the gentle ocean breeze that can make a muggy day at the shore just perfect.
If the 24-story hotel is built, a wall of concrete will soon block the sunshine that streams through her windows.
She knew the Binns and Bonito motels, which now sit at the end of the block, were coming down, but said that real estate agents and others told her their replacement would have the same setbacks as the condominium and would be as high as maybe 10 to 12 feet.
"No one told us this was coming," she said.
Kato added that she and other neighbors were not notified about the project. Notification instead was sent to the condominium's developer, Classic Custom Builders.
The hotel, which needs zoning board approvals and numerous variances, is touted as a "luxurious 24-story high-rise hotel" in documents submitted to the city's zoning board. It will sit on Atlantic Avenue between Spencer and Spicer avenues and include 201 residential condominiums and 114 hotel units along with a ballroom, restaurants, retail space and 704 parking spaces.
Among the variances needed are allowances for the height (a maximum of 250 feet is allowed in the hotel/motel district, where most of the hotel will sit), lot coverage, setbacks, density and floor-to-area ratio.
The developer is asking for close to 100 percent lot coverage with no front yard setbacks. The site currently has 100 percent impervious lot coverage consisting of motel buildings, pools and parking.
Planner Robert D. Cotter, who completed a report on the development, wrote, "Large yard setbacks are not needed or desirable in an area where people are encouraged to walk and enjoy the liveliness of the streetscape."
To appease the Rising Sun neighbors, the plan also features a small green space with plants and trees.
"To accommodate the new three-story residences on Spencer, the project is notched back 16 feet at its southwest corner, mitigating impacts of the zero rear yard setback at that location," Cotter's report continues.
An architectural treatment, he adds, will be used to reduce the visual impact from the parking garage side of the building.
But no architectural treatment can restore the views Kato treasures. "On a clear night, I can watch the fireworks from here," she said.
The height, 24.75 feet more than allowed in the hotel/motel zone, also worries the neighbors. The first page of plans for the project shows the hotel rising high above the street, and nearby the building shared by Kato, Arena and others seems to appear in miniature.
Cotter's report states that the extra height is necessary to allow for high ceilings in keeping with a first-class hotel.
"There is no hardship here, but rather a better zoning alternative," Cotter wrote.
Pointing to the street lined with cars on both sides Sunday morning, the neighbors said they worry about parking and traffic, as visitors to the new hotel would have to enter the five-story parking garage on either Spencer or Spicer avenues. The parking garage would be directly next door to their building. A traffic study done for the developer says the neighboring streets would not be adversely affected.
The planner's report also ties the success of the hotel and the Wildwoods Convention Center together.
"It (the convention center) is losing business due to the lack of Class A hotels in town," Cotter wrote.
Arena disputes the notion that a hotel several blocks away from the convention center is practical, particularly in the off-season when temperatures drop.
Resident Gina Glennon said the hotel is simply too big for the lot and for the neighborhood.
"We bought here because it was residential. We used our savings and thought we were doing the right thing because we always heard Wildwood is great for families, but now I'm not sure what we will do," Glennon said.
Cotter, meanwhile, says the convention center needs high-rise hotels to survive.
"If the market continues to chew up the fading motels of the past and spit out cookie-cutter condos without an alternative, Wildwood will soon be competing with Ocean City, not Atlantic City. And the convention center will face continued loss of business, leading to an inevitable public bail-out," Cotter wrote.
Neighbor Linda Della Vella, on the other hand, predicts that the move to support the convention center will come at the expense of families who came to Wildwood because they saw promise here.
"They wanted it family oriented but they are hurting the families on this street," she said.
And while they await the fate of the project, Arena managed to find one bright side to the mess.
"It's brought us closer," she joked with Kato and Della Vella nearby.
To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:
TGilfillian@pressofac.com
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Post by Doowopper on Jul 18, 2005 10:58:41 GMT -5
What a shame, several new low-rise "boutique hotels" would have been a better alternative than giant skyscrapers on a flat island with few large structures. What are the city officials thinking? Do they want to ruin Wildwood? Imagine the energy consumption of these giant buildings, and the amount of water pressure they are going to consume. People don't want skyscrapers in Wildwood, the towns government obviously dosen't care about it's people. They should be impeached.
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Post by anticondo on Jul 20, 2005 0:03:22 GMT -5
I don't know if it's official or not if all these high rises are going to be built, but it doesn't sound possible. I really can't imagine anything like this in WW, maybe down in Diamond Beach, but not on Rio Grande Ave! It just reminds me of what happens when developers sometimes bite off more then they can chew [like the unfinished high rise in Asbury Park] On the other hand I would like to see what a pent house suite view would be like from up there.
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Post by wildwanderer on Aug 16, 2005 19:44:48 GMT -5
Hi Everyone!! Just returned again from another week long vacation in the Wildwood's. We are down there at least for 12 trips throughout the year - each trip lasting at least 4 days to our big trip of 6 weeks in the late summer early fall. The concert for the Hall of Fame inductees last week was FABULOUS!!!! Mary Wilson and Martha Reeves had their pictures taken with us - we had a blast!!!!! Found out another motel is "coming down" - the Yankee Clipper!!! The corporate greed is still going on strong - but the new owners of the "over-priced" condos and townhouses are finding out more than ever that they CAN NOT get renters for FULL weeks at a time. Aw what a damn shame!!! They can't meet their mortgages that way, can they?? ) If anyone wants to purchase a new dwelling - just sit back and watch - in 2 to 3 years of LESS - you can purchase 1 in foreclosure or for back taxes owed!!!! My husband and I will laugh all the way to the bank!!!! We do not want "our" island to look like OC, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle - oh God - they are so bland and dull looking with the same old light grey or tan vinyl siding (cheap plywood) construction dwellings!!!!! And we don't want the social snobs of NY filtrating the entire island as well. I agree we needed to get rid of the "crappy elimate" and clubs that draw the kids that have families that don't give a *%$@ where they are and what they are doing. But to purposely ruin and destroy the culture and architecture that made the island known for it's classic neon and doo wop and the retro designs is unforgiveable. It's all going to "hit the fan" soon!!!!! You definately seem to have a problem with New Yorker's. I don't. I don't know anyone in my circle who has. Maybe this problem is new or I just get along with people. Also, I visit Stone Harbor and Avalon quite frequently and so do others that are WW lovers. I don't discriminate. I welcome the differences in the areas. Did you ever try the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, or the Sea Life Museum of Brigantine, or the Noyes Museum of Oceanville. There are many cultural events and places outside of WW. It is ok to enjoy these places. WW would understand. P.S. The buildings in Avalon, Stone Harbor and et al, they are kept up, well maintained and I think are the nicest "homes" near the beach. This is coming from a number 1 WW fan since 1966.
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