SOMERS POINT — Developer Sean Scarborough provided City Council on Oct. 23 with an update on his projects under development at the north end of the Bay Avenue business district.
The three projects — the Somers Point Paddle Club, Salt House single-family homes and Salt Creek Apartments — are being built at and near the corner of Bay and Maryland avenues .
The Paddle Club, a private swimming club with a bar and restaurant, is under construction at 520 Bay Ave., the former site of the Bubba Mac Shack.
In May 2022, City Council approved an agreement with Somers Point Paddle Club LLC for redevelopment of the site. An overlay zone divided the lot into three parts.
Scarborough had said he hoped to have site plan approval in the early part of 2022 and break ground in July or August after completing the rest of the permitting process. When that failed to transpire, he incorporated the project into a larger development that includes housing.
The Planning Board unanimously approved three separate applications Feb. 19, 2025, to allow for a mix of commercial and residential uses on the properties bordered by Bay, Maryland and Pleasant avenues.
The new project involves a change to the previously approved application for the Somers Point Paddle Club, along with single and multifamily housing and continuation of boat yard operations.
The three properties — 520 Bay Ave., 100 E. Maryland Ave. and 7 Kappella Ave. — are all part of a redevelopment agreement reached between entities under the umbrella of Scarborough Properties and City Council in December 2024. They are Harbour Cove Marina LLC, Rt. 152 Partners LLC and Bass Harbor LLC.
The approvals cleared the way for completion of the Paddle Club — a complex planned for the corner of Bay and Pleasant avenues overlooking the Harbour Cove North Basin with three swimming pools, indoor and outdoor seating — that was previously approved in 2022.
The first approval involved three affordable housing units in a building that now will be used as storage for the Paddle Club. Those three units were relocated.
The Salt House complex will include 24 single-family homes on the corner of Bay and Maryland avenues. The singles will have four bedrooms in a 2,200-square-foot upside-down design with the great room on the second floor to provide better water views.
The multifamily units, known as Salt Creek, would be split between two buildings. Parking will be provided in a surface lot.
Scarborough said Thursday night that the Paddle Club building is progressing nicely. All of the pools are framed and sprayed with gunite.
“At this point in time, the pools are in, which was a big milestone for us,” he said, explaining that now they will focus on building the upper floor.
Scarborough said the weather has been cooperative, except for a nor’easter that took place mostly over a weekend, not disrupting work.
“We’re right on schedule, maybe a couple of weeks ahead right now, which is nice to go into the winter with that,” he said. “We expect to be complete in March, by mid-March.”
Plans call for some soft openings throughout May.
Scarborough said membership sales already have exceeded the 50 percent mark, “and that’s way ahead of where we thought we would be, so we’re very pleased.”
Salt House singles
Scarborough said two homes are built and have roofs and soon to have windows.
“The whole site is on grade, sanitary systems in place and within the next 10 days we will be on site putting the full water main system in place and stormwater as well,” he said.
Following that work, they will construct the conduit bank for electricity, pave the parking lots and apply a binder coat.
“Hopefully we’re pretty stabilized by December,” he said.
Extensive landscaping is planned on the Maryland and Bay Avenue sides, including decorative trees and grasses and a walkway bordered by a wall.
“Tomorrow we will actually have our landscape architect on site, Tuckahoe Nurseries, and we’re going to source all our products, get it effectively bought, and we’ll start to plant all of this in probably the first week of March,” Scarborough said. “We just got to get out of the heavy frost and snow period, but you want to go as early as possible.”
He said one home is under contract and three more have been started. He expects to have at least five in various stages of completion but largely completed to try to be ready for the season and deliver five to six somewhere between April and June.
Salt Creek
The affordable housing element is set to be complete by March. Scarborough said the concrete slabs are poured and one building is roofed with windows.
This element is significant because a previous agreement would have allowed for 126 housing units there, only six of which would have been deemed affordable.
Also included is the continued operation of the boat yard, which predates construction of Harbour Cove Condominiums, operating since at least the 1950s, according to testimony.
The property, along Pleasant Avenue and stretching to Bass Harbour, will continue to be used for boat storage, maintenance and repair. However, in the boating season, the lot will be opened up for parking for Paddle Club patrons.
Three shipping containers will be kept on the lot for storage.
Scarborough Properties operates paddle clubs at Cape May Marina and in Brigantine. The Scarborough family has developed multiple properties in the city including Harbour Cove Marina and Shore Medical Center. Completion of the Somers Point facility initially was set for May 2023.
– STORY and PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff