City Council hires legal adviser for Wonderland Pier redevelopment plan

City Council hired a land-use attorney Thursday night to help guide the governing body through the legal complexities of approving a redevelopment plan for the former Wonderland Pier site on the Ocean City Boardwalk.

John A. Ridgway, a Linwood attorney who specializes in zoning and planning law, will serve as “special legal counsel” to Council during what is expected to be a painstaking and complicated process in Wonderland’s redevelopment. He will be paid a rate of $200 per hour.

“Ridgway Legal possesses the legal expertise and qualifications necessary to guide Council in its consideration of the future development of the property at 600 Boardwalk,” according to the Council resolution approving the law firm’s hiring.

Council President Terry Crowley Jr. explained that Ridgway will play a crucial role in advising the governing body as it considers options for redeveloping the Wonderland property.

“We’re going to rely on his expertise as we navigate through this process,” Crowley said during the Council meeting.

Developer Eustace Mita, who owns the Wonderland site, has proposed building a $150 million luxury resort hotel in place of the defunct amusement park at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk.

At some point in the future, Council is expected to decide whether to declare the Wonderland property as an area “in need of rehabilitation” to help speed up its redevelopment – as a hotel or possibly some other type of project.

During a Jan. 7 meeting, Ocean City’s planning board was deadlocked 4-4 in a vote on the rehabilitation designation sought by Mita for his hotel project. The tie vote effectively killed a planning board resolution to approve the rehabilitation status.

In December, Council voted 4-3 to ask the planning board to consider recommending the rehabilitation designation. The planning board vote was considered a critical preliminary step in Mita’s redevelopment plans for the Wonderland property.

Now that the planning board has rejected it, the issue is expected to come back to Council for its own vote on the rehabilitation issue. However, it is not clear when that would happen.

    The former Wonderland Pier's sprawling facade overlooks the Boardwalk at Sixth Street.
  

The rehabilitation designation would trigger a process that could possibly lead to a zoning change to permit Mita’s hotel at the Wonderland property. Currently, the city’s zoning laws do not allow hotel construction in that section of the Boardwalk.

There is no guarantee that a hotel will be built or even given final approval, but the rehabilitation process does create a legal pathway for the project.

Crowley and other Council members emphasized that, ultimately, a redevelopment plan for the Wonderland site will be decided by the seven-member governing body through an open and transparent public process.

“It’s a good, common-sense thing that we’re doing,” Councilman Jody Levchuk said.

Crowley pointed out that Council will act independently in deciding Wonderland’s redevelopment plan. He noted that Mayor Jay Gillian’s administration will not be involved.

“They’re not going to tell us how to vote,” Crowley said, referring to the Gillian administration.

The Wonderland hotel proposal has bitterly divided the community for months. Council initially voted 6-1 in August not to ask the planning board to consider designating the property in need of rehabilitation. But Council reversed itself in a 4-3 vote on Dec. 4 following an intense lobbying campaign by the city’s business groups in favor of the hotel.

Hotel supporters believe the project is urgently needed to boost the Boardwalk and the entire city with more tourism and economic activity. Opponents of the project maintain that the hotel would overwhelm the surrounding neighborhoods and would not fit in with Ocean City’s family-friendly atmosphere.

“This obviously has been a contentious issue in town for well over a year,” Crowley said.

Hotel opponents have already spoken of the possibility of filing lawsuits against the city if Mita’s hotel is ultimately approved.

    City Council will ultimately decide on a redevelopment plan for the former Wonderland Pier site.
  

With potential legal entanglements and other possible complications looming ahead, Council will turn to Ridgway for his expertise in land-use laws. Ridgway already serves as attorney for the planning and zoning boards in Egg Harbor Township and Galloway townships.

While voting to hire him, the Council members praised Ridgway for his expertise and experience.

“He’s going to be Switzerland, and that’s exactly what we need,” Councilman Keith Hartzell said of Ridgway serving in an impartial role as legal adviser.

The Council resolution authorizing Ridgway’s hiring was approved by a 6-0 vote. Councilman Tony Polcini did not attend the meeting.

Council had originally planned to approve the resolution without discussion as part of its consent agenda involving relatively routine matters. However, a few members of the public urged Council to remove it from the consent agenda for further discussion.

“600 Boardwalk is anything but routine,” Ocean City resident Dave Hayes said.

Responding to the concerns from the public, Councilman Sean Barnes asked for the resolution to be pulled from the consent agenda for discussion,

“I think he will be a good, objective voice for us,” Barnes said of Ridgway.

Ridgway has advised municipal clients through numerous land use and redevelopment matters and has experience and knowledge of the New Jersey Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, the Municipal Land Use Law, and related legislation and regulations applicable to municipal legal representation, he said in a letter to Council describing his qualifications.

    An architectural rendering depicts the proposed resort hotel on the Ocean City Boardwalk in place of Wonderland Pier.