The Coral Sands Motel overlooks the corner of Ninth Street and Atlantic Avenue a block from the Boardwalk.
No one expressed any sympathy toward the Coral Sands Motel during a planning board meeting Wednesday night that sealed the fate of the aesthetically challenged building close to the Ocean City Boardwalk.
Voting unanimously, the board approved plans by the Coral Sands owner to demolish the motel and replace it with a mixed-use project combining commercial space on the ground floor and six residential units on the top two stories.
The Coral Sands, believed to date to the 1960s, overlooks the corner of Ninth Street and Atlantic Avenue in a prime location only a block from the Boardwalk.
Some of the planning board members expressed happiness that the tired-looking motel will be demolished to make room for a much more attractive building that offers the benefits of both commercial and residential space.
“It appears to be an improvement to the existing building there as far as aesthetics and flooding,” said Michael Allegretto, who serves as Mayor Jay Gillian’s designee on the board.
City Councilman Sean Barnes, who is Council’s liaison to the planning board, called the project “a great improvement” to the corner of Ninth and Atlantic.
Gary Jessel, the board’s vice chairman, indicated that the motel’s best days were clearly behind it and it is time for a change.
“It’s another example of how the hospitality zone has been successful in taking down buildings that are old and not in keeping with modern business and replacing them with something that is,” Jessel said.
Planning board members agree that the old motel will be replaced by a much more attractive project.Architect Andrew Bechtold, who represents the Coral Sands owner, called the motel a “way past its prime” building.
“We’re removing a building that needs to be removed,” Bechtold told the planning board.
Planning board documents show that the motel is owned by Haresh Patel of Linwood. The development group is listed as Coral Sands Motel LLC.
The redevelopment plan will take advantage of “probably one of the best locations in town,” just a block from the Boardwalk and beach along the Ninth Street corridor, Bechtold pointed out.
“We produced a very nice-looking building,” he said. “We think we’ve designed a very nice building, especially for multiple uses.”
The ground floor of the mixed-use development will include 3,300 square feet of commercial space. Bechtold said it has not yet been decided which type of business will occupy the commercial space. He told the planning board that the ground floor is large enough for potentially two businesses.
One of the advantages of the mixed-use building for the surrounding neighborhood is that it will have far less density than the motel, Bechtold said.
He also noted that the project will include 18 parking spaces to serve the residential units.
It was not immediately announced when the motel will be demolished and construction will start on the new project. The motel’s website says Coral Sands will reopen for the summer season on April 10 and that reservations are being taken.
Coral Sands, a budget motel, is touted for its family-friendly atmosphere, along with its convenient location close to the Boardwalk and downtown Ocean City.
The motel’s proposed redevelopment reflects Ocean City’s transformation into more of a vacation market of condos, second homes and upscale lodging.
The Coral Sands Motel sign in the front window.
