A big step forward has been taken for the future of the shuttered Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey.
On Thursday, Ocean City Council passed a resolution in a 5-to-2 vote to designate the former boardwalk amusement park pier as an area “in need of rehabilitation.”
Property owner Eustace Mita, a prominent Philadelphia-area entrepreneur and real estate developer, has been pursuing this designation as the first step toward building a 252-room hotel on the site, which is currently zoned for boardwalk amusements and does not allow hotels.
In December, Ocean City’s City Council voted in favor of redeveloping the iconic attraction, but officials put the possibility of rezoning the area on hold and opted to seek more detailed information about the potential deterioration of the site.
In a 4-4 vote in January, the Ocean City Planning Board paused the redevelopment of the site into a hotel, but the council action opens up the site to potential zoning modifications.
The resolution could pave the way for a luxury hotel to be built on the site, although it does not guarantee that one will be built there.
The move would let the city start working on a redevelopment plan for the site, which could eventually include a hotel as one of the approved uses.
The future of Wonderland has been the hottest topic in local politics since its longtime owner, Jay Gillian, shut down the theme park in October 2024.
Gillian was reelected to a fifth term as Ocean City mayor in May. Gillian fended off two Ocean City Council members, Keith Hartzel and Peter Madden, who challenged him in the nonpartisan municipal election. He’s been mayor since 2010, following in the footsteps of his father, Roy, who also served in the role and founded Wonderland Pier.
Gillian owned the Wonderland property until selling it to Mita in early 2021 after banks foreclosed on $8 million in loans, and the mayor leased the property for four summers before closing permanently in October 2024, concluding that the amusement park was no longer financially viable.
According to a federal bankruptcy court filing, Gillian faces nearly $6 million in debt, and he said unforeseen circumstances resulted in a sharp decline in personal income.
Gillian, Hartzel and Madden are all affiliated with the Republican Party, but the community is divided over the future of the Cape May County beachfront. GOP candidates typically get between 55 and 60 percent of the vote in the city, where fewer than 20 percent are registered as Democrats.
The city has a string of beaches and a boardwalk with shops, eateries and amusement parks. Before it closed, Wonderland Pier offered classic rides like the Giant Wheel. Playland’s Castaway Cove features several roller coasters and themed mini-golf.
To the south, Corson’s Inlet State Park, with trails and a boat launch, attracts shorebirds to its dunes and wetlands.
Ocean City was founded in 1879 by Methodist ministers as a Christian family resort and has remained an alcohol-free community since its inception. Alcohol isn’t sold anywhere within its limits, and consumption in public spaces like the beaches, boardwalk, or streets is strictly forbidden. Local police are known to enforce local ordinances to maintain the community’s “dry” reputation.
Councilman Sean Barnes failed to table the resolution for three weeks, and Hartzell seconded the motion, arguing the council should wait for a new member, Councilman-elect Jim Kelly, an opponent of the rehab designation, to take office on July 1.
The session was the final meeting for At-Large Councilman Pete Madden, who has been an ardent supporter of Mita’s hotel plans.
During public comment, Kelly asked the governing body to delay the vote on rehabilitation, rather than disenfranchise voters who elected him in May.
Kelly argued that a decision of this magnitude shouldn’t be made six days before the new council is seated. “There is no urgency to put this on tonight’s agenda,” he said. “Wait until I am sworn in next week.”
Attendees of the council meeting on Thursday night had a mixed reaction to the vote, which followed 75 minutes of spirited public comment for and against the designation.
Ocean City’s next council meeting will be held next month. Wonderland Pier closed in late 2024 after 94 years in operation.
The vote paves the way for developer Eustace Mita’s proposal to build a hotel on the property. Mita is the CEO of Icona Resorts and owner of the Gillian’s Wonderland property.
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