The future of Wonderland Pier on the Ocean City boardwalk appeared uncertain in August after the local government overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to deem the site an area for rehabilitation.
If the proposal was approved, it would have helped Eustice Mita, the owner of the ICONA company, who envisioned a new resort-hotel on the property at 600 Boardwalk.
The businessman initially said he was certain that he’d sell the property after the failed vote. But his proposal may get a second chance.
The same resolution that the city council rejected in August is being reconsidered Thursday at the suggestion of Councilman Jody Levchuk.
The vote comes as the Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association said Wednesday that at least four businesses near the defunct theme park don’t plan on returning next summer. Association president Wes Kazmarck said at least five businesses near the pier are also considering not opening.
Mita and several Ocean City business owners spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, lobbying for the city council to approve the redevelopment designation for the area. Doing so would lead to a master plan created with help from the city planning board.
If there is no progress in redeveloping the Wonderland pier, “there will be more” closed storefronts, Kazmarck said.
A “yes” vote on Thursday would not formally approve Mita’s hotel pitch. Instead, the hotel proposal would be considered in the planning board’s redevelopment study of the property.
Meanwhile, two bids to buy the Wonderland Pier property remain open — one from Phil Norcross, the brother of George Norcross and CEO of the legal firm Parker McCay, and another from Ryan Homes, Mita said.
A spokesperson for the Norcross family did not immediately return a request to comment.
Kazmarck said both potential buyers would pursue building townhomes on the property.
Mita did not say how quickly he would consider the offers to sell the property if Thursday’s vote fails. He insisted a hotel is his only possible venture. He repeated earlier claims that the former theme park is outdated and could no longer be successful.
Some in town have said they don’t want a hotel on the site, instead urging for the property to be preserved.
“Right now, you can’t put a nail and a board on this site,” Mita said. “You can’t touch it. It’s literally zoned (as) one thing, amusement park, which is never going to happen.”
Mita said city council members urged him to hold off on selling the property, suggesting that the redevelopment vote could be reconsidered. He also said several city officials met with him between August’s failed vote and now.
The Wonderland hotel proposal is the second Mita has made in Ocean City. Construction costs will likely rise to $170 million, up from $155 million that was previously proposed, Mita said.
If Ocean City proposes a redevelopment plan, it would likely take ICONA six months to break ground, and the full hotel could be completed in 18 months, Mita said.
Mita continued to suggest Ocean City lacks hotel rooms, which he argued are the best support for Cape May County’s tourism-centric economy.
Levchuk appeared to surprise many attending the last city council meeting when he asked fellow council members to take a second vote on the redevelopment designation. A discussion about the topic was not included in that meeting’s agenda. He previously voted against the proposal in August.
The councilman, who attended Wednesday’s press conference, said clearing the way for Wonderland to be redeveloped is in the city’s best interest.
“That size (of) land is not viable in today’s marketplace for what it is currently zoned for,” Levchuk said.
“No matter what is going to happen here — this has nothing to do with me favoring a hotel, this has nothing to do with me favoring (Mita). It has to do with me doing my due diligence,” he added.
Wonderland Pier announced its closure in August 2024 after 94 years of operation on the Ocean City boardwalk. Mita bought the property years before it closed, rescuing it from a previous final collapse. It had long been owned by the family of Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian.
