Sea Isle City looks for better entrance

SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. - As you drive across the tall causeway bridge leading into this barrier island resort, the view of the town's gateway, stretching from bay to ocean, is dramatic - perhaps the only one of its kind along the Jersey Shore.

Flags flap in the breeze, flower boxes festoon the median, and the sky meets the sea along the horizon stretched in front of you.

But the actual drive along John F. Kennedy Boulevard - a mélange of tired building facades and lackluster plantings along the median and narrow sidewalks of town - brings you back to earth.

"It's an impressive view, but the way this area looks right now along JFK Boulevard is definitely not something that puts the best foot forward for the town," said George Savastano, business administrator of the municipality, which is embarking on a $13.4 million project to revitalize the six-tenths-of-a-mile stretch.

Building booms occurred after severe storms battered much of the New Jersey coastline in 1944 and 1962. In Sea Isle, the 1962 nor'easter destroyed or significantly damaged nearly every beachfront structure.

That led to what some have criticized as "haphazard" planning and zoning policies over the ensuing years, which allowed duplexes and triplexes to be built on lots where single-family homes once stood.

Now, the current economic downturn has put the brakes on the last wave of unparalleled development, which began in the late 1980s.

Despite the faltering economy, Savastano said, the "Beach to Bay Corridor Project," as it is formally known, is long overdue.

Ultimately, he said, it will help the municipality, which calls itself the "Sea and Sand Vacationland," attract and keep returning visitors and vacationers.

"The idea is to essentially shrink the distance between the marina on the bay front and the beach," Savastano said. "Those two anchors are our greatest asset, so what goes on aesthetically between those two points is very important."

That "shrinking" will be accomplished by creating amenities and highlighting six sites within the project area, according to Stuart Wiser, regional director of planning and development for Remington, Vernick & Walberg Engineers.

Wiser presented a preliminary design last month to the Sea Isle City Council, including a newly landscaped park with a band shell and upgraded beachfront promenade.

Plans also call for the demolition of the library, which will be rebuilt on 48th Street between Central Avenue and Park Road. A beach-tag office now there will be relocated.

The parcel where the library stands will become a parking lot - part of a plan to bring an additional 160 parking spaces to the corridor - with a Smart Meter system.

Throughout the area, open spaces will be relandscaped to create "pocket parks" with decorative fencing, wider sidewalks, interesting street lighting, and historical and ecological markers.

"They have been talking about doing this for years," said Jeanine Cozzo, who lives near the project area. "I think that most people who live here are really happy it's going to get a face-lift. It needs it."

Enhancements to the marina area include new docks, an improved boat-launch system, decorative sidewalks, lighting, and a new boat-trailer parking lot, Savastano said.

The plan also proposes relocating Ludlam's Beach Lighthouse, one of Sea Isle's original structures, dating to the early 1900s, into the corridor from another part of town. The two-story, houselike structure may serve as a visitor center, beach-tag sales office, and public restroom, Savastano said.

The project got a jump-start last summer when the Ocean City-based Gillian's Wonderland Pier opened a small amusement-ride center at the foot of the bridge near the marina. Sea Isle City leaders had wanted to bring kiddie rides back since the last amusement park closed here more than 10 years ago.

"That's always a big question for prospective tenants when they come into Sea Isle to rent for the summer," said Ruth Steedley, a local real estate agent and president of the Greater Chamber of Commerce of Sea Isle City. "They want to know about amusement rides for the kids. Now, we have this important component back that we can offer visitors."

The corridor project is projected to take about five years to complete, using local, county, and state funding. Ultimately, it's expected to provide an economic boost to the resort.

"They always say first impressions are the most important," Steedley said. "After the improvements are made, when visitors enter Sea Isle for the first time, they'll know they have arrived someplace that is special."