Ocean City Council Member Urges Civility Amid Downtown Criticism

OCEAN CITY, N.J. – Ocean City City Council member Keith Hartzell called for a more civil discussion regarding concerns over the downtown area and a proposed hotel project on the Boardwalk during the March 28 council meeting. Hartzell addressed recent criticisms of the downtown, especially on social media, describing them as unfairly negative and damaging to the city’s reputation.
Hartzell linked the criticism to the controversial hotel project planned for the former Gillian’s Wonderland site.
He stressed that public discussions about the hotel should focus on the merits of the project itself rather than attacking the town as a whole. Hartzell also spoke about vacant storefronts on Asbury Avenue, denying that high commercial rents were contributing to the vacancies. He suggested property owners improve the appearance of vacant properties during renovations and mentioned that some storefronts had added window coverings. The council member’s comments came amid rising tensions over the proposed hotel, a $150 million project by developer Eustace Mita, which will be presented to City Council in April or May.