By Donald Wittkowski
Demolition crews have begun taking down the abandoned former Exxon gas station at the foot of the Ninth Street entryway as plans move forward to redevelop the blighted site into a new real estate office.
The hulking canopy that once covered the gas pumps was removed in the past two days and the next step is to dig out the underground storage tanks.
Keller Williams, the Ocean City real estate company, is buying the old station as the site for a new multimillion-dollar office, but will not close on the deal until the gasoline storage tanks are removed by the property's current owner, said Eric Booth, an agent for the company.
"I'm just glad that something is happening, because that's what we're waiting for," Booth said Tuesday about the demolition work.
Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen said numerous violation notices have been issued by the city to the Exxon site's private owner, whose name was not immediately available. Most recently, City Code Enforcement Officer Bryan Cottrell ordered the removal of the dilapidated canopy as well as a deteriorated Exxon sign that fronted Ninth Street. The sign is now gone, along with the canopy.
The station's old weather-beaten building will also eventually be demolished to create a clean site for construction of the new real estate office. But it is not immediately known when the building will be razed, Booth said.
Booth estimated that construction on the real estate office could start in September, once Keller Williams secures the building permits and other regulatory approvals.
"We want to get going there," he said.
The old Exxon site is one of three defunct gas stations that mar the appearance of the Ninth Street gateway, the main artery in and out of town. City officials are eager to see the Exxon, BP and Getty stations demolished to remove the ghostly eyesores.
City Council, at its meeting Thursday, is scheduled to give final approval for a $475,000 bond ordinance to finance the purchase of the BP site.
Plans call for the current owner, SAE New Jersey Realty Co. LLC of Pennsauken, to demolish the BP building and remove the old underground gasoline storage tanks before turning over control to the city.
Chief Financial Officer Frank Donato said the city will landscape the BP site to create more green space along the Ninth Street corridor. The land will also be used for parking for the surrounding residential neighborhood on Revere Place, as well as for people who bike, walk and jog across the Ninth Street causeway.
The Exxon site at the corner of Ninth Street and Bay Avenue is one of the first things visitors see as they enter town. The adjacent BP and Getty stations on the opposite side of Ninth Street confront people as they leave the island. City officials have long been concerned about the impression the derelict properties have made on tourists.
Separately, the city is negotiating to buy the old Getty property from owner Trinetra Realty Holdings New Jersey Delaware LLC of Princeton. Donato said the owner of the Bud’s Marina property next to the BP and Getty stations has also expressed interest in selling, which would give the city an even larger footprint for open space along the Ninth Street corridor.
