Hotel, marina, 768 housing units proposed on site plan
BEESLEYS POINT — A 180-room hotel with a 300-seat restaurant, 768 housing units and 80,000 square feet of retail space are planned for the former power plant site off Route 9.
The Beesley’s Point Development Group is seeking an amendment to its redevelopment plan to add the housing element. No formal presentation is scheduled at this time.
Township Committeeman Tyler Casaccio has been working with the BPDG on the project.
Chad Parks, executive vice president of real estate and development for the group, said the housing unit numbers likely would be reduced as part of the permitting process with the Department of Environmental Protection and through negotiations with the township, but noted it’s standard procedure to go for maximum density.
“While we are hopeful to return to the township in the coming months to presented our proposed development for the ncessary approvals, the current site plan … is intended solely to support our CAFRA permit application,” Parks said.
The BPDG provided the Sentinel with a preliminary site plan of the project, noting it still requires approval from the committee and Planning Board.
The group has entered into a redevelopment agreement with the township with plans for a marina, bayfront hotel and retail shops, along with residential development and a significant nature component that will be open to the public.
Details of the proposal are being released in a letter to homes within 200 feet of the wetlands portion of the property as part of the process of obtaining permits, and since that’s only a small portion of homeowners in the township, the group wanted to get the information out to all before the meeting.
Solicitor John Amenhauser said during a Township Committee meeting April 14 that the township had received a letter from ACT Engineers on behalf of the BPDG regarding the group’s application for a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act permit.
“It’s one of many layers of administrative approvals that are going to be required to develop there,” he said.
Amenhauser said the township wanted to make everyone aware of the situation before rumors started, noting only a small portion of homeowners would be getting the letter.
“We want the township to drive the conversation, that’s why they announced it,” Parks said.
The BPDG bought the 377-acre property along Route 9 and Great Egg Harbor Bay in November 2021 and has spent years demolishing the former coal-burning B.L. England Generating Station and other parts of the complex where it operated for nearly 60 years.
Now the partners are busy securing permits for the project and moving forward with the township approval process.
Chris Wilson is co-founder along with Tim Niedzwiecki, while David Kreutz is executive vice president and director of economic development.
Parks said much remains to be accomplished but noted they are moving ahead with permits for building near wetlands and for a wastewater treatment plant. In the meantime, they are excited to move forward with the township approval process.
“We have three avenues, parallel paths,” Parks said, noting they are about a year into the permitting process and trying to get grandfathered in before the state enacts its proposed New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats and Resilient Environments and Landscapes (NJPACT-REAL) rules.
If Township Committee approves the amendment, the Planning Board would then review it to determine whether it complies with the Master Plan and send it back to the committee with its recommendation for a second approval.
Accomplishing those steps would allow the BPDG to then submit a formal site plan for approval.
“It’s been three and a half years leading up to this and the hard work is finally coming into the sunlight,” Parks said. “We will finally be able to turn the page, and hope to put shovels in the ground within 18 months and start to recoup our investment.”
The partners already have undertaken numerous steps to remediate pollution at the site and plan an extensive environmental education and recreation component.
“We are working continuously with the township to ensure that our development provides the community nature, waterfront and entertainment options unique to the area,” Wilson said. “We are creating a destination that will provide activities for all to enjoy.”
Located along Great Egg Harbor Bay, the site includes sections of wetlands, lowlands, uplands and maritime forest — criss-crossed by multiple paths — that are home to numerous species of plants and animals. There’s also a former nine-hole golf course.
“We tried to preserve and are preserving as much green space on the golf course as possible,” Parks said. “It seems like a dense project but in reality it’s such a big site, 377 aces including wetlands, there is still a lot of open space.”
Parks could not say what part of the project would be developed first, noting that finding a partner to build the hotel may be difficult.
“The hotel is tough, the market is difficult, especially it being seasonal,” he said. “We are painting a great picture with the birding and environmental aspects , but at the end of the day that area is busy for just three months.” He said there “definitely will be a hospitality component.”
“Ideally it will be first, but a hotel is not going to come to be on an island by itself,” Parks said.
He said the project is getting closer to fruition.
“We’re to a point when it’s not a hypothetical. When we go to the township with a site plan, it’s not pie in the sky. We’re running concurrent paths, which is a massive risk, but hoping to have everything buttoned up soon,” Parks said, noting he hopes to have all approvals in hand by this time next year.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
