Chase Bank Coming to Rio Grande, Jester’s Building To Stay
It looks like a new Chase Bank location is opening up in Cape May County, this time in Rio Grande. If you’ve been following along with the recent closure of Jester’s Dive Bar, you would know that there is a big project coming soon.
This past weekend, the Wildwood Video Archive stopped by Jester’s Dive Bar as they closed their doors for the very last time. We filmed our last tour of the outside of the building, which you can watch at the bottom of this article.
Chase Bank Coming to Rio Grande
At the time, early public notices suggested that most of the changes would be focused on the large parking lot next to the building. But now, newly obtained planning documents reveal that the scope of the project is much more extensive.
According to the application filed with Middle Township, the proposal spans multiple parcels, including Block 1464.01, Lots 8, 9, and 10, at 3505 US-9, effectively combining the Jester’s property with adjacent land into one coordinated redevelopment site.
The primary use listed in the application is a new Chase Bank, signaling a major shift in how the property will be utilized moving forward.
However, this is not a simple plug-and-play project. The developer is requesting a significant number of zoning variances and design waivers.
Parking is one of the more notable aspects of the proposal. Rather than creating completely separate parking areas, the documents suggest a shared parking layout across the entire site.
The existing restaurant parking conditions are described as “non-conforming,” but instead of being fully redesigned, they are proposed to remain largely in place while being integrated into the overall site plan. This indicates that the future bank and any restaurant or commercial use on the property would likely share a combined parking system.
From a planning perspective, shared parking arrangements are common in mixed-use commercial developments, especially when businesses have different peak hours.
A bank typically sees its highest traffic during weekday business hours, while restaurants tend to peak in the evenings and on weekends.
This allows municipalities to approve fewer total parking spaces than would otherwise be required if each use operated independently.
In the case of the parking here, there would be roughly about 60 parking spots shared between the buildings.
So what does this mean for the future of the Jester’s building itself?
The documents do not state that the structure will be demolished and the blue prints not only show that the building will be staying put, but it’s sign will be moved from lot 10 and moved to just south of the building.
AKA, this will be staying a restaurant, what kind, we don’t know yet.
Between the reconfiguration of multiple lots, the introduction of a new primary use, and the extensive zoning relief being requested, this appears to be a full redevelopment effort rather than a minor renovation which would mean that this restaurant would be closed until the Bank and the new parking lot would be finished.
Below is our goodbye video of Jesters. Before you watch, please do consider subscribing.