Wonderland Pier Redevelopment in Limbo After Ocean City Planning Board Deadlocks

Wonderland Pier Redevelopment in Limbo After Ocean City Planning Board Deadlocks

It was a night filled with emotion and uncertainty as, after more than three and a half hours of testimony, debate, and public comment, the Ocean City Planning Board took no action on an issue that could have reshaped the future of the former Wonderland Pier property on the Ocean City Boardwalk.

In a 4–4 deadlock Wednesday night, the board declined to recommend designating the former Wonderland Pier site as an area in need of rehabilitation.

Because the vote ended in a tie, the motion failed, effectively stalling the next step in any potential Wonderland Pier redevelopment of the long-vacant Sixth Street Boardwalk property.

The decision halts, at least for now, momentum behind redevelopment plans for the site, which has remained unused since the amusement park closed in October 2024.

The Wildwood Video Archive filmed the final walkthrough of the property before it shut down, which you can check out at the bottom of this article.

The vote represents a significant setback for property owner and developer Eustace Mita, who has proposed a roughly $150 million luxury resort hotel for the site under the name “Icona In Wonderland.”

That concept hinges on the rehabilitation designation, which would create a legal pathway for potential zoning changes. Under current Ocean City regulations, hotels are not permitted along that section of the Boardwalk.

Board members who voted against the designation raised concerns that the property does not meet the legal criteria required under state law.

The rehabilitation statute is intended for sites that are demonstrably deteriorated or underutilized in ways that negatively impact the surrounding area.

Opponents argued that the former amusement pier, while vacant, does not clearly satisfy those standards.

Following the vote, Mita indicated he would consult with legal counsel to determine his next steps.

Options on the table include abandoning the hotel proposal altogether and potentially selling the property if redevelopment efforts continue to face regulatory roadblocks.

Supporters of the designation stressed that the request was procedural rather than a project approval.

A rehabilitation designation would not authorize construction or guarantee zoning changes.

Instead, it would simply allow discussions about alternative uses to formally move forward within the city’s land use framework.

During the meeting, Mita’s planning and engineering consultants presented arguments that the site now qualifies as deteriorated and effectively abandoned.

They cited aging infrastructure, the lack of active use, and the absence of any viable interim operations as evidence that the property meets the threshold required under state redevelopment law.

Despite the board’s rejection, the issue is not considered closed.

Future applications, legal challenges, or revised proposals could bring the matter back before the Ocean City Planning Board or City Council.

For now, however, the future of one of Ocean City’s most prominent Boardwalk properties remains uncertain, with no clear path forward for redevelopment.

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