OCEAN CITY OFFICIALS REVIEW FUTURE OF CONDEMNED SEASPRAY PROPERTY

OCEAN CITY, N.J. — A longtime landmark at the corner of Bay Avenue and 34th Street faces an uncertain future after being declared unsafe.
The property, formerly The Seaspray Hotel and converted into condominiums in 1980, has been a fixture in Ocean City for more than six decades. The building, was closed after pieces of deteriorating concrete fell near an exterior doorway, prompting an immediate evacuation of all residents. Conflicting engineering reports on the building’s condition led city officials to determine it is unsafe due to ongoing structural deterioration.
Less than a year after the property was listed for $7 million, the Ocean City Council passed a resolution asking the city’s Planning Board to review whether the site requires rehabilitation. If the board finds rehabilitation necessary, the new owners could seek revised zoning to redevelop the location. Reports indicate that the HOW Group, a real estate and property management company based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, plans to purchase the property. The company has proposed a three-story building with 43 condominium units and covered parking on the ground floor, which would modernize the prominent 34th Street and Bay Avenue corner.