Less than a month after Ocean City Council rejected a proposal that could have paved the way for a luxury hotel on the Boardwalk, the site of the former Gillian’s Wonderland Pier has drawn multiple purchase offers.
In August, the Council voted 6-1 against designating the property an “Area in Need of Rehabilitation,” a step that would have allowed developer Eustace Mita to seek zoning approvals for a 252-room hotel called “ICONA at Wonderland.” Immediately after the vote, Mita announced he would scrap his plans and put the two-acre parcel up for sale with an asking price of $25 million.
On Friday, Sept. 12, Mita, CEO of ICONA Resorts, confirmed that two offers had surfaced.
One came from attorney Philip Norcross, CEO of the South Jersey law firm Parker McCay, according to OCNJ Daily.
Public records show the Norcross family already owns homes in Ocean City, and the bid was set at Mita’s asking price. Their interest centers on redeveloping the site with upscale townhouses.
“As a longtime Ocean City homeowner who is committed to the future of the city, Phil believes there is a great opportunity to redevelop Wonderland Pier and maintain Ocean City as America’s Greatest Family Resort,” Daniel Fee, an attorney who described himself as a spokesman for the Norcross family, said in a statement.
At nearly the same time, national homebuilder Ryan Homes, through their parent company NVR Inc., expressed its own interest. The company is currently constructing the Links at Greate Bay in Somers Point.
Both prospective buyers are said to be exploring residential projects, which would require zoning changes because the site is currently restricted to retail, restaurants and amusements.
The competing bids mark the latest turn in a long-running saga over the property. Since it opened in 1965, Wonderland Pier had been a Boardwalk landmark.
Mita purchased the property in 2021 for $14 million, rescuing it from a sheriff’s sale after the then-owner, Mayor Jay Gillian, had defaulted on an $8 million mortgage. Mita said he also spent about $1.2 million annually in “carrying costs” under his ownership for the past four years, putting his total investment at $20 million.
The mayor continued to run it under Mita’s ownership, but closed it for good in October 2024 following years of financial difficulties.
Mita hoped to revive the site by developing the eight-story luxury hotel that would have included two of the park’s iconic rides: the 140-foot Ferris wheel and carousel.
His $150 million plan drew support from business groups, who believed it would revive the northern end of the Boardwalk. But neighborhood groups pushed back, warning the project’s size would overwhelm nearby streets and change the city’s character.
Now, with two formal offers and additional expressions of interest from community groups, the future of the Boardwalk property remains uncertain. Over the coming months, Mita is expected to evaluate the proposals before deciding which path to take.
The outcome will determine whether Ocean City’s former amusement landmark becomes a residential development, a community-driven attraction or something else entirely.
