New Jersey and its miles and miles of beaches is a huge tourist attraction but parts of it have become run down and dilapidated.
Now, one man would like to develop one of the most iconic Jersey Shore towns.
Eustace Mita wants to turn a shuttered amusement pier into a 250-room hotel in Ocean City along the famed Boardwalk. That includes saving and restoring the Ferris wheel and carousel at Gillian's Wonderland Pier, according to local 6abc.com.
"Our thought was we will rehab it, keep it, and actually raise it by 10 feet. That will be a $1.5 million project," said Mita.
The hotel, called "ICONA in Wonderland," is expected to cost in total up to $155 million. Tourism is still the number one industry in Ocean City. In fact, Jersey Shore towns running up and down the coast from Lavalette south to Atlantic City and Cape May have long been a haven for New Jersey and Pennsylvania and New York residents.
But Bill Merritt, president of the Friends of OCNJ History & Culture, is hesitant about the proposal.
"Not only is the process they are using really bad, but the product they are putting out there is the absolute wrong product for that space," he said. "We also hope the city really thinks through what would be a devastating impact if it approves this resort."
Said Councilman Keith Hartzell: "You know, as a taxpayer, I'm a solid, 'no,' but at the same time, you know, it honestly, it's up to the town. If you're going to lose Wonderland, I was hoping for a much smaller property with a lot more family activity. Maybe a very small amusement park, maybe seven, eight, nine rides, kiddie rides, and then a lot more family things going on, with a much more like a boutique-type hotel."
The plan is in the early stages of development and still needs various approvals.
Wonderland Pier had been in existence for almost a century before closing earlier this year.
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