Joins others concerned about the future of the resort
OCEAN CITY — Ocean City 2050 is the newest advocacy group in town.
A news release issued Monday, March 3, announced the formation of the group by long-term island residents “committed to preserving the city’s unique identity, promoting responsible growth and advocating for transparency and accountability in local government.”
In the past year, various groups have formed, one to advocate for municipal and school board candidates committed to a certain vision for the resort and others in response to fears of what will take the place of the former Wonderland Pier amusement park at Sixth Street and Boardwalk.
Ocean City 2050, which acknowledges it shares some members with Friends of OCNJ History & Culture, came about because of worries about governance, planning and development, according to the group.
Ocean City 2050 “seeks to engage the public, advocate for fact-based policymaking, and ensure the city remains a premier family-friendly destination for generations to come.”
The group shares Friends of OCNJ’s commitment to community preservation, but will focus on governance and planning.
It listed two key aspects of the different groups:
– Ocean City 2050 will drive long-term policy advocacy, ensuring the city remains well-governed, family-friendly and vibrant, with a focus on transparency, accountability and responsible decision-making.
– Friends of OCNJ will continue its mission of celebrating Ocean City’s historic character through initiatives like house and garden tours, historical documentaries, an old-home database and educational seminars.
Friends of OCNJ joined with yet another advocacy group – Save Wonderland – to present a seminar last November about developer Eustace Mita’s proposal for Icona at Wonderland, a 252-room hotel, retail complex to replace the amusement park.
Not coincidentally, a key theme of that Nov. 30 seminar was, “What’s your vision for the Ocean City boardwalk in 2050.”
“Like many towns along the Jersey shore, Ocean City has experienced massive change, from evolving demographics, to significant housing cost increases, to environmental threats, all of which require sound government policy to ensure that growth does not erase the unique history and culture of our island,” Jim Kelly, a long-time resident and founding member of Ocean City 2050, said in the group’s news release. “Strong advocacy is required to shape policies that will secure that future, rather than leaving them to a narrow group of special interests and perspectives.”
The group called this a “critical moment for Ocean City” because official decisions “have raised alarm within the community.”
“Ocean City has recently witnessed events that highlight the need for stronger governance and broader community involvement,” said Bill Merritt, a founding member who is a key figure in Friends of OCNJ.
“The lack of leadership on the boardwalk debate, the recent approval of a commercial marina in a small residential Glen Cove lagoon, the continued approval of massive duplexes with inadequate parking and the failure to address the rising vacation costs for middle-class vacationers that is hurting our local economy reflect a city that appears to have handed its rudder to special interests, rather than safeguarding its longstanding cultural identity,” Merritt wrote in the release.
Under its “core priorities,” Ocean City 2050 stated it will:
– Champion good governance and transparency: promote integrity and inclusiveness in local decision-making.
– Advocate for fact-based planning: push for an updated Master Plan that balances responsible development, historic preservation and environmental sustainability while safeguarding Ocean City’s long-term cultural identity.
– Explore the future of entertainment: Ensure Ocean City remains a premier family-friendly destination by studying and advocating for new attractions that align with its identity.
– Engage with local leaders: Work with elected officials and candidates to keep Ocean City’s future a top priority.
– Hold government accountable: When necessary, pursue litigation to uphold the principles of good governance, preservation and responsible planning.
“Ocean City 2050 is a community-led movement to ensure our city remains vibrant, family-friendly and well-governed for generations to come,” Kelly said. “We invite everyone, including citizens, residents and vacationers, to get involved, make their voices heard and help shape Ocean City’s future.”
For additional information, visit www.oceancity2050.org, or contact oceancity2050@gmail.com.
To learn more about Friends of OCNJ History & Culture, go to friendsocnj.org.
Save Wonderland
and FOCUS
Save Wonderland formed after Jay Gillian announced last August that the amusement park, which operated for just shy of 60 years, would close permanently in October 2024. Mita had purchased the property from Gillian a few years earlier, after a bank foreclosed on some $8 million in loans, and had been renting the park back to him.
With Wonderland closing, fears arose of what Mita would do with the property. The grassroots organization formed with a mission dedicated to preserving the character of the boardwalk and not allowing zoning changes on the site, which is zoned for amusements.
It claims nearly 4,000 supporters committed to fighting a hotel on the site. (See savewonderland.org)
Mita would need various approvals to build a hotel at the site. Although he has had several public informational meetings about his hotel proposal, he has not made any formal application for it.
Last March, a political action group called FOCUS – Families of Ocean City United in Success – formed “to shape the future and preserve the traditions that define America’s Greatest Family Resort.”
FOCUS made a point of being a group that will endorse candidates for Ocean City Council and school board elections. Last May, it endorsed a slate of four candidates for council.
FOCUS has not limited itself to endorsements. Last October, the group hosted a presentation at the Ocean City Tabernacle on proposed flood elevation rules that brought in county and legislative leaders and an environmental consultant.
Much of it was advocacy to get citizens to oppose the rules by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that could go into effect as soon as this coming August.
The group’s concern with those rules, which affect much of New Jersey but will hit hardest on barrier islands such as Ocean City, is that they are based on predicted sea level rise by the turn of the century – in the year 2100 – but require changes to elevation in building and renovation of properties 75 years ahead of that. (See more at ocnjfocus.org)
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff