SOMERS POINT — Three major redevelopment projects and other, smaller ones are in the works around Somers Point, promising to further fuel its economic boom.
City Council went into executive session Thursday, Feb. 24, to discuss the projects and get an update from redevelopment attorney Jim Franklin.
Franklin said a redevelopment agreement allows the city to work with builders, property owners and developers to find the best use for real estate in a way that is mutually beneficial. It allows the city to have input into what will be developed and provides the developer an opportunity to seek tax incentives.
Prior to entering into a redevelopment agreement, he said, a redevelopment plan must be reviewed and approved by the Planning Board and adopted by a City Council ordinance. The final development must then be approved by the Planning Board and adhere to all zoning requirements set forth in the plan, unless relief is sought and granted.
The projects in the works include a 73-space parking lot for Bayview Court Apartments across Shore Road and six duplexes off Pleasant and Sunset avenues. It would take the place of five boarded-up homes along the city’s historic main street.
Also on the list is the vacant lot at 19 MacArthur Blvd., where Ocean City’s Coastal Christian hopes to build a three-story, 99-room destination hotel with a church and community center.
The site of the adjacent Econo Lodge motel also was listed among the properties discussed.
Another is 520 Bay Ave., where Scarborough Properties is developing the Somers Point Paddle Club, a private swim club with a bar and grille on the former site of Bubba Mac’s Shack.
Other properties include Somers Point Plaza, the Walgreens site.
Topics under discussion included negotiation of a memorandum of understanding, an escrow agreement, a redevelopment plan, a redevelopment agreement and affordable housing obligations
“We are engaged in potential redevelopment plans with all of those properties,” City Administrator Jason Frost said prior to the meeting. “We have to talk to the redevelopment attorney and get an update on all of those projects and where they stand.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
