By Kathy Fulginiti

The City of Wildwood Planning & Zoning board meets the first Monday of every month at 6 pm in the City Hall Commissioner’s Meeting Room, 4400 New Jersey Ave, Wildwood NJ 08260. View agendas and plans beforehand at city hall during their business hours (M-F 8 am - 4 pm). Members of the public are allowed to attend and offer public comment on most agenda items. Zoom attendance is currently discontinued.

237 E. Juniper through to 26th, L JKQ LLC

The lot is 60’ x 80.9’ and covers street to street.  It is a vacant lot with an existing shed that encroaches on a neighboring property.  The shed will be demolished.  The owners propose a four-unit  building with each unit having two bedrooms.  It will have a roof deck with a covered pilot house that provides access to the deck.  Each unit will have its own private deck area and stairs.  The pilot house will be topped by the air conditioning units.  A parapet around the top of the building will provide a safety barrier of a little over 3’ for the deck.

Variances are needed for height, side and front yard set-backs, density, and lot depth.  The height issue comes because of the pilot house and the air conditioning unit. The lawyer for the owners pointed out that the lot size almost fits 3 units, and 4 are wanted.  Two parking sports per unit are allotted. 

A D variance is needed for exceeding the roof height.

The Board was impressed with the architectural design of the building, since it is not the typical condo design.  One member expressed hope that others would copy the style.

All variances were granted.  The vote was unanimous. 

4301 Niagra

This application was not presented.

215, 219, 221 E. Lincoln, Thomas Quinn and James Gaffney

This area consists of three lots and is where the Harbor Inn used to be. The owners intend to construct a beer garden that has a small, one-story building with indoor seating for 16.  Outside seating will also be available for 44 patrons.  The menu is limited.  Bathrooms will be available both inside and outside.  The building is pre-fab, so dimensions are fixed.  The existing shed will be repurposed for the outdoor bathrooms.

For tax purposes, the three lots need to be consolidated.  The parking lot consists of gravel.  An aisle for parking provides for a 22’ width, but 24’ is required.  It was suggested that the building be shifted a bit to allow for this and the owners agreed.  The Board requested land scaping plans be submitted.  10 parking spaces are on the plans, but 18 is required.  (I’m not sure if the Harbor Inn had parking.)

A variance is needed for the back set-back.  The original footprint extended to within 1 1/2’ of the property line while 5’ is required.  This is the area where the outdoor bathrooms will be.

One member of the public spoke about being happy with the proposal.

It was approved unanimously.  

201 W. Burk at 4510, 4512, 4514, 4516 Arctic

Because a certain variance was required, more Board members were needed to attend.  The matter was adjourned until July 11, 2022.

4800 Park Blvd., Starbucks

Presently, this 80’ x 200’ lot is vacant.  It fronts Park Blvd. and spans from Rio Grande to Taylor Avenues.  The previous developers received a variance in 2019 for lot depth and the current lawyer asked that the variance stand.  The Board responded that since this is a new project, the variance has to be treated as new.

The representative from Starbucks stated that this store is a drive-through with an additional walk-up window for foot and bike traffic.  It will not have a kitchen, only a warm-up oven.  Coffee, pre-made sandwiches, and pastries will be on the menu.  85-90% of the customers are expected to use the drive-through.  It will be a year-round store that opens between 5:30 and 6:30 am and stays open until 10 pm.  The business will be ready for an April 2023 opening.

The architect stated that the 1,018 square foot building will have space for 20 exterior seats that are separated from the parking area.  It is a standard-looking Starbucks building with internally illuminated sign. To mitigate any flooding, the structure will be raised six feet and will be built with flood prevention in mind.

The engineer testified that the area containing the beach balls will be turned over to the city or to the county, depending on which entity owns the street in that area.  Even though only 8 parking spots are required, the proposal is for 11.  The entrance to the business will be on Park Blvd, which will also serve as an exit, as will the driveway on Rio Grande.  The Taylor Avenue entrance will be for the drive-through only.  The lot coverage is at 85.2%, which is less than the Popeye’s proposition.  Maximum coverage is 80%.  There will be no public access to the building and no public bathrooms.  Eleven cars can be in the queue before the street is impacted.  Raised curbing will be installed in non-driveway areas. There was a long discussion between the Starbucks team and the Board about the reality of the drive-through on traffic.  All agreed that there will be problems, but it’s only the summer months that will cause those issues.

Starbucks will need a deed of lot consolidation.

I asked if there was any kind of Doo Wop architecture being incorporated into the design.  I was told no, and I explained about the Doo Wop entry into Wildwood and how many of the businesses at least give a nod to Doo Wop.  The representative said he would check with corporate about that.  A Board member said that was what Popeye’s was going to do.

The vote was unanimously passed.

Disclaimer: The above are not the official minutes of the meeting. While we have taken every precaution to ensure that the content of this summary are both current and accurate and does not infringe on any rights of any person or entity, errors can occur. We assume no responsibility for errors/emissions.

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