{"id":174,"date":"2026-07-05T14:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T09:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=174"},"modified":"2026-07-05T14:00:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T09:00:41","slug":"new-jersey-coastal-city-clashes-over-proposal-to-turn-gillians-wonderland-pier-into-luxury-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=174","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey coastal city clashes over proposal to turn Gillian&#8217;s Wonderland Pier into luxury hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2Fnewspress-collage-l9tbpqgts-1783240717829.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261783226352\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Officials in New Jersey sparked mixed reactions after voting to pave the way for the redevelopment of a former\u00a0iconic amusement park.<\/p>\n<p>Gillian\u2019s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City was a\u00a0Jersey Shore\u00a0landmark that entertained families for decades.<\/p>\n<p>David Gillian founded Gillian\u2019s Fun Deck around 1930. Roy Gillian began operating the business as Gillian\u2019s Wonderland Pier in 1965.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0park became\u00a0known for its carousel, monorail and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/03\/new-jersey-man-robert-sanger-dead-after-fall-while-fixing-ferris-wheel-at-gillians-wonderland-pier-in-ocean-city\/\">144-foot Giant Wheel<\/a>. It closed in October 2024 after years of mounting financial pressures, including rising inflation, insurance premiums and operating costs.<\/p>\n<p>Disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2017\/10\/27\/stunning-before-and-after-photos-of-superstorm-sandy\/\">Superstorm Sandy<\/a> also reportedly contributed to the business\u2019 financial woes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried my best to sustain Wonderland for as long as possible, through increasingly difficult challenges each year,\u201d Ocean City mayor and one-time Wonderland Pier owner Jay Gillian wrote in a letter posted to Facebook.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>New Jersey officials greenlit a controversial plan to redevelop Ocean City\u2019s iconic Gillian\u2019s Wonderland Pier site. <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been my life, my legacy and my family. But it\u2019s no longer a viable business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be like it was every year we come down, something is taken away,\u201d 72-year-old Pennsylvania resident KR Watkin\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox29.com\/news\/gillians-wonderland-pier-prepares-one-last-weekend-landmark-gets-ready-close\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told FOX 29<\/a>\u00a0at the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s surreal actually,\u201d said employee Andrew Boyland. \u201cI can\u2019t believe this is happening. I\u2019m upset about it but at the same time the amount of people that have come here ever since we announced we are closing is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The move could bring a 252-room hotel to the Jersey Shore landmark, sparking fierce debate among locals. <span class=\"credit\"> Twitter \/ Steve Keeley, FOX 29<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Icona Resorts owner Eustace Mita acquired the property in 2021. After the park closed, he proposed building a\u00a0252-room hotel\u00a0on the site.<\/p>\n<p>In a 5-2 vote recently, Ocean City councilmembers approved rezoning the site as \u201cin need of rehabilitation,\u201d thereby allowing the city to begin the redevelopment process.<\/p>\n<p>The vote does not approve construction of the hotel itself, however. The next step in the process involves the city drafting a redevelopment plan outlining development standards before holding public hearings and seeking additional approvals.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A community group slammed the decision as a \u201cstrategic blunder\u201d and plans to sue Ocean City over the proposal. <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some residents said they are in favor of the hotel, arguing it will bring more visitors to the city that is home to roughly 11,000 year-round residents and regularly attracts more than 100,000 tourists per day during the summer.<\/p>\n<p>Others expressed concern that the development would alter the boardwalk\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p>Community advocacy group Ocean City 2050 criticized the vote in a statement, calling the council\u2019s decision a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oceancity2050.org\/campaigns\/view-campaign\/T1WSG2dpSJcPy8ezcB0iEcfRGeVUpnk-3l-1DYNYrD9h3vrSfro5yHs3U55F3MlTmFKTI9o85lTRoKG3sXlvhkd0hoVqOLDm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cstrategic blunder\u201d<\/a>\u00a0that results in \u201ca stronger hand for the developer, and a worse outcome for residents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group announced it plans to join other groups in filing suit against the city challenging the rehabilitation designation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe council\u2019s failure to meet the statutory requirements for rehabilitation, its arbitrary decision-making, its willful disregard of known financial conflicts and its breach of fiduciary duty to the citizens it serves\u201d are reasons the group cited for the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>Ocean City 2050 said it supports a recent subcommittee report that called for \u201cusing traditional planning tools, not rehabilitation designation, to address this site.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group said it would support a redevelopment plan that \u201cenhances entertainment, respects the neighborhoods and protects our boardwalk\u2019s iconic look and feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials in New Jersey sparked mixed reactions after voting to pave the way for the redevelopment of a former\u00a0iconic amusement park. Gillian\u2019s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City was a\u00a0Jersey Shore\u00a0landmark that entertained families for decades. David Gillian founded Gillian\u2019s Fun Deck around 1930. Roy Gillian began operating the business as Gillian\u2019s Wonderland Pier in 1965&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-l9tbpqgts-1783240717829.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1783226352&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}