The Ocean City Council approved a rezoning designation on June 25, 2026, voting 5-2 to declare the former Gillian's Wonderland Pier amusement park site as an area in need of rehabilitation.
According to city officials, the designation allows the local government to establish a framework for direct negotiations with developer Eustace Mita, who proposed building a 252-room luxury hotel on the boardwalk property.
The landmark amusement park closed in October 2024 after decades of operations due to mounting financial strains from rising inflation, insurance premiums, and operating costs, alongside disruptions from Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Wonderland Pier owner and current Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian explained the economic realities facing the historic family attraction in a public statement.
"I tried my best to sustain Wonderland for as long as possible, through increasingly difficult challenges each year," wrote Jay Gillian, Mayor of Ocean City.
The closure of the park left residents and seasonal workers processing the loss of a major Jersey Shore attraction that had operated since 1965.
"It's not going to be like it was every year we come down, something is taken away," said KR Watkin, a 72-year-old Pennsylvania resident.
The final season saw large crowds visiting the historic property before its final operations concluded.
"It's surreal actually," said Andrew Boyland, a park employee. "I can't believe this is happening.
I'm upset about it but at the same time the amount of people that have come here ever since we announced we are closing is amazing."
Developer Eustace Mita, owner of Icona Resorts, acquired the property in 2021 and is now seeking to quickly formalize a redevelopment plan with the municipality.
"I have a plan for 30 to 45 days," said Eustace Mita, owner of Icona Resorts. "We don't mess around."
However, city officials indicated they intend to take a more deliberate approach toward reviewing and structuring the proposed boardwalk development.
"I think it's going to be a number of months. We don't want to rush through the process," said Terry Crowley Jr., City Council President.
"I don't know that we have an exact timeline."
The designation drew strong opposition from community groups like Ocean City 2050, which argued that the city bypassed proper statutory planning mechanisms.
"Designating 600 Boardwalk as a property in need of rehabilitation is a gross abuse of New Jersey Housing and Redevelopment Law," said Marie Hayes, a resident.
"It is an atrocity to use the rehabilitation designation where the clear intent is to demolish the existing structures and replace them with development that is radically different in use, density and community impact."
Business leaders expressed support for the redevelopment during the public meetings, stating that the local business district requires a commercial anchor at the north end of the boardwalk.
"You've earned a vote," said Bill McGinnity, a restaurant owner representing the city's Restaurant Association. "We've talked this thing to death … .
We need you to push this through."
The city must now draft a formal redevelopment plan outlining specific building standards, which will be subject to future public hearings and planning board reviews before any construction can begin.
