By MADDY VITALE
Ashley and Wes Juelg loved their historic home at 633 Asbury Avenue in Ocean City. But the couple grew their family in the seven years that they lived in the single-family residence, and it was time to move.
With four children ages 12, 9, 4 and 3, they made a tough decision to put their much-loved gem built in 1902 on the market.
“We loved it and put so much work into it. But we have four kids and outgrew it. We just got a new roof last year,” Ashley Juelg said in an interview Tuesday. “We tried to sell it and we only got one offer.”
That offer was from V2 Properties Entity 7 LLC, a Royersford, Pa., company, and it was accepted.
Two weeks ago, the three-story home on Asbury Avenue was knocked down to make way for a plan to construct a mixed-use building.
The property, which is located in the bustling section of the downtown, is in the Central Business (CB) Zone.
On Wednesday, the new owner is scheduled to go before the Ocean City Planning Board to seek approval for a bulk variance and conditional use variance relief to construct the new mixed-use building.
The development proposal, according to planning board documents, would include the following:
- Ground floor commercial (1,500 square feet) and residential parking (435 square feet)
- 3-bedroom residential unit on the second floor (1,704 square feet)
- 3-bedroom residential unit on the third floor (1,608 square feet)
- Two off-street parking spaces for each three-bedroom residential unit
Juelg said that the decision to sell the family home was a difficult one and that she tried to get additions put on and spoke with architects about it. She said she was told that since the home was in the CB Zone “it would be difficult to get additions approved.”
“We had such a difficult time trying to add on. I felt like there were no incentives given to keep the house,” Juelg said. “I think it scared a lot of people. I wish the city would do more to promote keeping the integrity of the houses, instead of mowing down houses and putting in new duplexes.”
The Juelgs did not opt to move into a new home. In fact, in October, they moved into Ocean City’s Historic District. Their latest home is also from the Victorian era — only a few years older. It was built in 1898 and is located on Seventh Street and Wesley Avenue.
“There are so many similarities between our new home and our old one,” Juelg said. “I still feel sad about our old home. But I feel better that we didn’t sell out and buy a new house.”
While the family’s home at Asbury Avenue is nothing more than a memory now, they took a keepsake with them — a piece of the old house.
“We took a diamond-shaped, stained-glass window,” Juelg said. “We brought it with us and put it up in the new home.”
Editor’s Note: The Planning Board voted 8-0 on Wednesday night to approve the mixed-use project.
