Coalition urges: No high-rises, comprehensive Boardwalk review and negotiation — not capitulation
The grassroots Big Mistake coalition opposing the proposed high-rise on the Ocean City Boardwalk is calling on City Council to honor its longstanding commitments against high-rises on the Boardwalk and to take the steps to protect Wonderland Pier’s future ahead of the City Council’s expected first vote related to the site on Aug. 21, 2025.
The community-led coalition, which continues to grow in size and activity, is composed of concerned residents, neighborhood associations and local groups including Ocean City 2050, Plaza Place Association, Save Wonderland, Beach Watch Condominiums, Fairness in Taxes, Concerned Citizens for Glen Cove and Friends of OCNJ History & Culture.
The coalition is calling on City Council to do what it believes is right for the community as a whole:
1. Council members to keep their promises and say NO to high-rises at the Wonderland Pier. For nearly 30 years, the commercial boardwalk has respected zoning that has kept the area reserved for amusements and retail. While running for council, every current council member recognized the importance of this zoning and promised to reject any high rise proposal on the Boardwalk.
2. Before voting on rehabilitation, conduct a comprehensive review of the Boardwalk. At the request of the developer, City Council is scheduled to take its first vote on Aug. 21, referring to the Planning Board the question as to whether the Wonderland Pier site is “in need of rehabilitation.” Before pursuing a rehabilitation designation, Ocean City 2050 wants the City to show vision by first embarking on a holistic review of its boardwalk, including a review of alternatives for Wonderland. The group believes such steps will ensure the Boardwalk’s continued viability, economic health and family-friendly character, and do so in a manner free from conflict of interest.
3. Negotiate — don’t capitulate — with the developer. Neither the mayor nor the Council leadership has publicly pushed back in any way on the developer, despite their promises and required duty to the residents. The coalition wants the rest of the Council to step up, side with its people and work on their behalf.
Ocean City 2050 believes the vote sets a dangerous precedent
Jim Kelly of Ocean City 2050 said, “A vote to grant rehabilitation status to Wonderland Pier would be the first domino to fall — setting a dangerous precedent for the entire Boardwalk. We’ve been saying for some time that if Wonderland is given this designation, any other business owner along the Boardwalk could make the same claim. In five years, our family-friendly Boardwalk could be lined with high-rises, losing the charm and the very reason people love Ocean City and come year-after-year. We cannot let this vote set that precedent.”
Kelly contrasted the Wonderland vote with Council’s Aug. 7, 2025 action on the Seaspray Condominiums. “With Seaspray, the building was condemned, structurally unsound, and the plan was a like-for-like replacement that kept zoning intact. Wonderland is entirely different — there’s no publicly stated plan, no structural crisis and the risk is opening the door to oversized development that would forever change the Boardwalk,” he said. “So why vote for a rehabilitation designation that may be unnecessary, costly and invite litigation? We believe it’s because they are trying to smuggle through a high-rise plan by quietly building momentum, ignoring alternatives, silencing opposition, and passing votes they say are unrelated — but the public knows otherwise.”
Public opposition
Since May 2025, the Big Mistake coalition has expanded its reach, strengthened its message and invested in fact-based advocacy. In spring 2025, Ocean City 2050 commissioned Rutgers-Eagleton Institute of Politics to conduct an independent, scientific survey of Ocean City residents around the Boardwalk issues. That survey found that nearly 80% oppose high-rises on the Boardwalk. The same report found that only 20% of the residents strongly support the high-rise proposal. (See www.bigmistake.org/media for more information.)
In addition, a “Save Ocean City’s Boardwalk” petition on Change.org, put forward by the local group Save Wonderland, to stop a proposed Redevelopment zone at Wonderland Pier and protect the zoning of the Ocean City boardwalk currently has more than 5,200 names, highlighting widespread community sentiment against the proposed hotel.
Finally, Ocean City 2050 representatives also continued to regularly meet with numerous citizen groups, residents, vacationers, and homeowners. The feedback from that group mirrored the survey information. The large majority of residents feel that a high-rise does not belong on the Ocean City Boardwalk, that any such project will lead to more such projects, extinguishing our family friendly culture and that the Mayor and city leadership involved in the decision appear to be working for the developer, not the citizens.
Take action
The future of the Boardwalk will be shaped by what happens on Thursday, Aug. 21 — and public presence matters. City Council will hold its first vote on the Wonderland Pier “rehabilitation” designation that evening, and residents must make their voices heard.
Ocean City 2050 urges all Ocean City residents, property owners and supporters to:
Attend the August 21 Council meeting and stand with your neighbors in opposition to the high-rise proposal.
Add your name to the “Save Ocean City’s Boardwalk” petition, available at https://www.change.org/p/save-ocean-city-s-boardwalk
Contact your Council representative directly and remind them of their promises to protect the Boardwalk from oversized development. (See here for Council contact information and how to get involved.
