Ocean City is Banking on a New Development Project

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI The chain-link construction fence surrounding two empty buildings at the corner of Ninth Street and West Avenue is a not-too-subtle sign that the property is about to undergo a dramatic transformation. Once the old buildings are demolished, the high-profile intersection that serves as the gateway to Ocean City’s downtown business district will become the home of a new Republic Bank, officials say. Wiesenthal’s Auto Service and a Sunoco gas station next door formerly occupied the site, but they closed down earlier this year after the property was sold to Republic. Republic Bank has been approved by the Ocean City Planning Board to develop a building that will feature a contemporary design wrapped in an all-glass exterior. “It’s all glass. You’ll be able to see right through the building,” said John Loeper, planning board chairman. “It’s very modern, very contemporary. It’s a nice-looking building. I think it’s an asset to the community.” Loeper noted that Republic’s Ocean City building will mimic the design of other banks built by the company, including one in Somers Point on Route 9. The new Republic Bank in Ocean City is expected to have the same all-glass design of this one in Somers Point. A Republic press representative could not be reached for comment, but a number of Ocean City officials joined Loeper in expressing confidence that the new bank will enhance the corner of Ninth and West. “It will be a nice development when all is said and done,” City Business Administrator George Savastano said. Republic has not yet announced when the old buildings will be demolished and construction will start on the new bank. City Council President Peter Madden said the property must undergo some environmental work, including soil testing, before the project gets underway. “It just takes time,” Madden said, noting that is not concerned about the project getting done. “I think everything is going to be developed,” added Councilman Keith Hartzell. The former Sunoco gas station on Ninth Street will also be torn down to make room for the new bank. The bank project continues a sweeping overhaul of the Ninth Street corridor by both private developers and the city in the past two years. Ninth Street serves as the main entrance into town, giving extra importance to any project that is part of the corridor’s major makeover. The city was able to acquire two blighted former gas stations, a Getty and a BP, that once stood next to each other on Ninth Street. Working in partnership with Cape May County, the city turned the former gas station properties into a landscaped park to create a more inviting entryway into town at the foot of the Route 52 causeway bridge. In March 2018, McMahon Insurance Agency celebrated the grand opening of a large new office building at 901 Simpson Ave., at the doorstep of the Ninth Street gateway. The following November, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach Realtors opened a new office in the McMahon building. The real estate company Keller Williams has announced plans to build a new office complex at the corner of Ninth and Bay Avenue, on the site of a former Exxon gas station. Republic Bank represents the next phase of Ninth Street’s evolution. The former Wiesenthal’s Auto Service, one of the buildings the bank will replace, had been a fixture at the corner of Ninth and West since 1968. The Wiesenthal brothers, Don and Glenn, were unsuccessful in their attempts to buy the building after they lost their lease. A lush green park replaced the former blighted Getty and BP gas stations on the Ninth Street corridor at Bay Avenue.