Updated Six-Story Complex Approved for Former ‘Bamboo’ Property

The final rendering of the proposed Bamboo replacement mixed-use building, May 2026. (Photo: Planning Document)

Seaside Heights officials this week approved an updated plan to build a six-story, 48-unit mixed residential and commercial complex where the famed Bamboo Bar once stood on the Boulevard in the center of town.

Located between Lincoln and Franklin avenues, the property was long home to the legendary bar and nightclub which was prominently featured on MTV during the 1990s and 2000s, most notably on the hit reality show “Jersey Shore.” It was demolished along with its sister-club, Karma, after owner John Saddy declared bankruptcy and the two properties were sold at auction in 2020. Karma has since been replaced with the prominent Coastal Edge property; Bamboo will now be replaced by the complex proposed earlier this year after its former lot had sat vacant as different plans were considered.

The final product approved by the planning board this week differed from what was informally proposed at a work session meeting the body held earlier this year. While the core aspects of the project remain in place – a 48-unit condominium complex with retail on the first floor – suggestions from board members led to the potential for a wider array of commercial uses, including a restaurant, at street-level, and aesthetic improvements.

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A redevelopment plan for the former Bamboo Bar site, Seaside Heights, N.J., Jan. 2025. (Credit: Planning Document)

The former Bamboo Bar property in Seaside Heights, N.J., Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

“We took some things that were discussed here that night and implemented them into the plan,” architect Jason Hanrahan told board members on Tuesday night. “One of the biggest changes was the retail component. We discussed retail at length, and the board wasn’t really satisfied with the scale and type of retail that could be implemented in the space provided.”

Board members had expressed concern that under the initially-proposed plan, there would not have been enough usable space for a bona fide business to move in, and the lack of infrastructure for kitchen equipment would preclude the possibility of a restaurant being able to open in the heart of the Boulevard business district. Both were addressed during the formal hearing this week.

“We added the possibility for a kitchen if the retail tenant were to be a cafe or small restaurant,” said Hanrahan. “That modified some of the plans on the ground level.”

Instead of two small commercial spaces on the ground floor, the plans were modified to include a single, larger retail space of about 2,200 square feet. The total area would measure 73-feet by 30-feet, which was carved out by rearranging parking and setbacks. The project will still include 73 parking spaces, including 24 electric vehicle charging stalls.

Similarly, the developer addressed a major concern raised by the board – trash and recycling collection. In the initially-proposed plan, residents would have used standard trash and recycling cans, which board members believed could have been unsightly when they would have been placed en masse along either the Boulevard or side streets twice a week.

“We integrated a trash chute and five-yard dumpsters that will separate and compact [trash], and we’ll have private hauling,” Hanrahan told board members. “This way, you won’t have 90-something trash cans on the outside.”

The building will include 40 two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units with a loft, and two three-bedroom penthouse units. The configuration of the units was modified from an earlier version of the proposal to allow for a more cohesive layout of the penthouses, Hanrahan said. The first floor would include ten units and amenities, then 12 units each on the second and third floors in an L-shaped pattern, followed by the larger loft and penthouse units on the top floors.

Bamboo, Seaside Heights, Sept. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Demolition of the Bamboo nightclub in Seaside Heights continues, Nov. 3, 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The updated proposal also included modified colors to reflect an “urban coastal” design called for the in the project’s city-developed redevelopment plan for the property, which will be accented with naturally-ventilated screening that will attenuate the glare produced by the headlights of passing vehicles.

“The goal is to bring you into the retail space and the building itself, and to set it back a bit from the Boulevard,” said Hanrahan. “Above the retail is the pool and amenity area, and some cabanas that are built into the facade. Throughout the building you’ll see balconies and the details like white brackets and cedar impressions to give it a coastal vibe and aesthetic that fits into Seaside Heights.”

The board approved the project in a unanimous, 7-0 vote.