Ocean City reaffirms opposition to alcohol sales

Ocean City will remain a “dry” town – no ifs, ands or booze.

Quashing rumors that a liquor license could be part of Ocean City’s future, City Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday reaffirming its support for the city’s laws prohibiting alcohol sales.

“Since the city’s foundation and incorporation, Ocean City has remained steadfast in opposition to the public sale, possession, or consumption of alcohol,” the resolution says. “The City Council considers this matter to be of significant interest and wishes to declare its intentions.”

Ocean City was founded by four Methodist ministers in 1879 as a dry town that bans the sale of alcohol. The Council members have repeatedly said in recent weeks that they intend to keep it that way.

“First of all, it’s never been permitted. I don’t ever see it being permitted. I would never vote to have it permitted,” Councilman Dave Winslow said of alcohol sales in an interview after Thursday’s meeting.

However, rumors have swirled on social media that the city might be required to “automatically” grant its very first liquor license if a hotel having at least 100 rooms is ever built on the Boardwalk.

There has been speculation that a liquor license would be approved by the city if a large hotel is built in place of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier after the Boardwalk amusement park closes down. Wonderland’s last day of operation will be Oct. 13.

“A lot of folks were out saying, once they build the hotel, they’re automatically going to get a (liquor) license. I knew that was not founded in law,” Winslow said.

Hoping to kill those rumors, Winslow sponsored the resolution formalizing Council’s opposition to alcohol sales. The vote was 6-0 in support of the resolution.

“We’re all on the same page,” Councilman Keith Hartzell said.

    Councilmen Dave Winslow and Keith Hartzell emphasize that the ban on alcohol sales is critical to Ocean City's family-friendly image.
  

Ocean City’s reputation as a dry town is a critical part of its image as a family-friendly vacation destination at the Jersey Shore. In 2012, voters overwhelmingly rejected a referendum that would have allowed restaurant patrons to bring their own wine or beer to enjoy with dinner.

“Everything you do is for the future. And in our future, that should never happen here,” Hartzell said of alcohol sales. “It was never intended. And in reality, it’s the best thing we have.”

Winslow added, “I think having no alcohol is part of our brand. It’s our brand, and we don’t want to lose the brand.”

At the Sept. 12 Council meeting, Winslow and City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson outlined the steps that would be needed for the city to allow alcohol sales and grant a liquor license.

Both of them noted that Council would have “exclusive jurisdiction” to decide whether to the change Ocean City’s laws banning alcohol sales.

“There would be several hurdles someone would have to clear in order to get a liquor license for any purpose in Ocean City. It would be this body that would have exclusive jurisdiction to consider such an application,” McCrosson told Council on Sept. 12.

McCrosson explained that most, if not all, of the properties in Ocean City have deed restrictions prohibiting alcohol sales, a further hindrance for the issuance of a liquor license.

Yet rumors have persisted in town that construction of a hotel in place of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier would automatically result in the issuance of a liquor license, opening the door for the sale of alcohol.

“People kept going out there and raising fear that if we have anything here, we’re going to get alcohol. We just want to say, no it’s not. All of us agree. This Council has no intention of ever changing the law,” Winslow said.

    The 140-foot-tall Ferris wheel towering over the Boardwalk is Wonderland Pier's most iconic ride.
  

Mayor Jay Gillian, whose family has operated Wonderland Pier since 1965, announced in August that the amusement park is shutting down for good because it is no longer a viable business.

Although Gillian operates Wonderland, the Boardwalk property at Sixth Street is now owned by Eustace Mita, the developer of the Icona brand of luxury resort hotels at the Cape May County shore. Mita invested in Wonderland in 2021 to save it from a sheriff’s sale after Gillian defaulted on $8 million in loans.

Last year, Mita unveiled plans for a $150 million boutique hotel on the Wonderland property. However, his plan fizzled out after failing to win support from the mayor and other elected officials.

Following Gillian’s announcement of Wonderland’s closing, Mita has stated that he will study his options for the property, but has not committed to any specific plans just yet.

Winslow, meanwhile, noted that a Boardwalk hotel would not be allowed under the city’s zoning laws – a further blow to the possibility of a liquor license being issued. The Boardwalk area between Sixth Street and 14th Street is zoned for retail stores, restaurants and amusements, not hotels, he pointed out.

According to Winslow, any change in the Boardwalk zone to allow hotel development would have to be approved by City Council and the Zoning Board following a public hearing.