Long-awaited plans for Seaport Pier revealed

The future of Seaport Pier may finally be coming into focus.

According to a report today by the Cape May County Herald, plans for a year round entertainment venue have been submitted.

The project would include a swim club, restaurant, upscale coffee bar, bike parking and concert space.

Entrance rendering at 22nd Avenue

BG Capital, along with project manager Joseph Byrne of JB Richards Construction LLC and designer Peter Porretta of Lighthouse Architecture (both Philadelphia-based firms) will make a formal presentation before the North Wildwood Planning Board at a public hearing.

The date has yet to be determined, but Mayor Patrick Rosenello ensured that advance notice will be made.

Byrne noted in the Herald article that he hopes to begin construction early next year, with a target opening of May 2018, pending the planning board's approval.

Indoor rendering, featuring restaurant and coffee bar

The northernmost of the six piers that extend from the Boardwalk, Seaport Pier operated for several years as Seaport Village, an outdoor mall that consisted of various shops and outlets at 22nd Avenue.

The mall closed after the 2004 season, and all structures on the pier were demolished by 2008. 

Since then, it has sat largely vacant, save for a North Wildwood Police substation and tourism office, and mobile public restrooms at the front of the pier, added in recent years.

After years of speculation as to what would become of the pier, including a proposed indoor water park in 2007, the North Wildwood portion of the Boardwalk (stretching from 16th to 26th Avenues) now has a potential, multi-purpose centerpiece.

A realized Seaport Pier would certainly change the dynamic north of the Morey's Piers amusement and water park centers.