Seaside Heights & Seaside Park

16-Home Development, New Public Beach OK’d to Replace Motel and Iconic Restaurant in South Seaside Park

by
Daniel Nee
December 9, 2025

Homes proposed for 23rd and 24th avenues in South Seaside Park. (Photo: Arya Properties)

Berkeley Township officials last month granted the final approvals required for Island Beach Estates to break ground in South Seaside Park, a bittersweet moment for the neighborhood that will add a public beach and a block of residential homes, while supplanting a long-operating motel and beloved oceanfront restaurant.

Renderings of the future “Island Beach Estates” development were released after the township’s planning board approved its construction earlier this fall and memorialized it in a resolution last month. Located in the Resort Commercial Zone, the development will include 16 homes constructed by local builder Arya Properties along 23rd and 24th avenues, with the sides of two of the homes located against Central Avenue. The homes on 23rd Avenue will replace the Island Beach Motor Lodge, while two larger oceanfront homes will be built on the property occupied by Chef Mike’s ABG, a renowned local restaurant owned by Chef Mike Jurusz that is closing at the end of the year with the hope of relocating locally.

Homes proposed for 23rd and 24th avenues in South Seaside Park. (Photo: Arya Properties)

Arya, for its part, dedicated a 0.9 acre of public beachfront to the township. The parcel is located at 24th Avenue and will utilize a beach ramp to allow visitors to access the beach that was once privately owned by the Motor Lodge and leased to the oceanfront restaurants that have been located there for decades. Berkeley officials plan to staff the beach with lifeguards and run it much like the rest of the township’s public beaches, though an unrelated pending annexation measure could place the beach within the hands of Seaside Park Borough should that be approved.

“This contribution will benefit our community for years to come and is a great example of what can happen when community spirit meets civic vision,” said Berkeley Township Mayor John Bacchione when accepting the donation of the beach in November.

Representatives from Arya Properties and Berkeley Township mark the donation of a new public beach in South Seaside Park. (Photo: Arya Properties)

Chef Mike’s ABG, South Seaside Park, N.J. (Photo: Chef Mike’s ABG)

According to Arya, the homes will consist of four and five bedroom models with 2.5 or 3.5 bath options. Four homes are located on 23rd Avenue, and ten are on 24th Avenue. Two larger oceanfront homes will each retain their private beach access for owners – one of each block. The 14 homes on the two blocks will be priced from $1,999,999, while the oceanfront homes will be priced at $4.75 million each. All of the homes will range from 3,000 to 3,400 square feet in area.

Crews are currently preparing to demolish the motor lodge and, ultimately, the restaurant property. Arya announced last week that they are currently cleaning out items from the motel and will donate “every usable item from the motel” including TVs, chairs, couches, dressers, end tables, and lamps to Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity.

“These pieces will now have a second life supporting local families in need throughout the county,” the company said in an announcement.

Homes proposed for 23rd and 24th avenues in South Seaside Park. (Photo: Arya Properties)

Arya is owned by Frank Sadeghi, who currently serves as an Ocean County Commissioner. Representatives from the company and Berkeley Township held a quiet ceremony at the oceanfront, recognizing the importance of the motel – and especially the restaurant in its current form under the leadership of Jurusz – to the township, but conceded that it was becoming more difficult for an aging motor lodge to exist amidst the area’s transformation from a sleepy no-frills vacation community to one that hosts some of the most valuable real estate on the east coast. The motor lodge owned the restaurant property and also held its liquor license, ironically forcing the impending closure of one of the few high-end oceanfront restaurants at the Jersey Shore.

Arya’s representatives, at the planning board meeting where the development was approved, said they expect demolition to begin in late January or early February, and construction will take approximately 18 months. Construction will pause between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and 24th Avenue will be resurfaced since new utilities will be run to the homes.

The project required just one variance from Berkeley Township – a corner lot that measured 7,200 square feet where 7,500 feet was required.