Development next to Flanders set for final site plan approval tonight
By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
OCEAN CITY – The Planning Board is set to decide on a six-story, 111-unit hotel across 11th Street from The Flanders Hotel, with a final major site plan on the agenda for 6 p.m. May 12.
The proposal received preliminary approval years ago, according to Stephen Nehmad, an attorney representing the applicants.
The meeting will take place remotely. More details and a link to attend may be found at www.ocnj.us/events/53698/ where there is also a phone number to dial in to the meeting.
The Soleil Resort project has been in the works for more than 10 years. According to published reports on the project, the Planning Board rejected the proposal in April 2016, but in 2017 a judge found that denial to be unreasonable and ruled that the proposal met the requirements for the redevelopment zone where it is proposed.
Select Properties, Inc., proposes a condominium hotel that includes a deli and café, a swimming pool and other amenities. Condo hotels refer to the manner of ownership, not the length of stay, with units owned individually but operating as a hotel. It’s a model that has become common in Ocean City. Typically, the guest is not even aware that the rooms are owned separately.
According to planning documents, the average unit will consist of three bedrooms and measure about 1,100 square feet.
The last time the proposal came before the board, neighbors and other interested parties opposed the plan, citing concerns about parking, overdevelopment and the possibility that the units would function as apartments rather than hotel rooms.
The length of stays in the boardwalk hotel zone is limited, even for the unit owner. According to Nehmad, the site will continue to provide parking for The Flanders.
“There is a specific number of parking spaces allocated to that use,” he said.
The parking will be in a three-level garage with 391 spaces, according to details filed with the Planning Board.
The site is in a redevelopment zone.
“The redevelopment plan envisions a first-class year-round resort hotel at the corner of 11th and Ocean that will complement The Flanders Hotel, support Boardwalk business and stimulate tourism,” reads a report filed with the Planning Board. “The resort hotel is to be a destination that capitalizes on this unique location with architecture, amenities and a streetscape carefully designed to reinforce the historic architecture of the Flanders Hotel. The resort hotel envisioned by the Redevelopment Plan includes restaurants, banquet/conference center, recreational and retail facilities.
Nehmad did not have an estimate for when work may begin if the board approves the site plan. He said that would need to be worked out with his clients after the meeting.
“This will not be a lengthy meeting,” Nehmad said. “The final site plan approval is by nature a far briefer hearing.”
Brothers John and Clay Heckler are the principal owners of the company, according to Nehmad. It is based in Colmar, Pa.
A website for the project states that Soleil promisesto “set a new standard for luxury condominium living in Cape May County. As a resort condo-hotel, Soleil is instituting a range of coveted amenities for its future residents.”
It cites room service and maid service, the beach block location, the fourth-floor pool and “voluntary onsite rental management program with nightly, weekend and weekly rentals.”
The promotion seems aimed at investors who will use their units.
“As the sun sets on your new home, another day of soothing seas and sun-kissed skies will await you in the morning,” reads the site.
Also on the agenda is a consistency review of an ordinance introduced by City Council to eliminate senior housing as a conditional use in the on-boardwalk zone. According to city officials, there is no proposal for a senior housing project before any board. The zoning amendment is aimed at avoiding a mix of residential and commercial uses on the boardwalk.