{"id":17536,"date":"2025-06-03T03:19:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T07:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/?p=17536"},"modified":"2025-06-03T06:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T10:53:31","slug":"grand-coastal-victorian-townhouse-development-floated-in-seaside-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/2025\/06\/grand-coastal-victorian-townhouse-development-floated-in-seaside-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand ‘Coastal Victorian’ Townhouse Development Floated in Seaside Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The proposed \u2018Seaside Manor\u2019 complex in Seaside Heights. (Planning Document)<\/p><\/div>\n

Seaside Heights may soon have its own dash of Victorian style, with officials expected to consider a 16-unit townhome development on Ocean Terrace that will be built in a style reminiscent of Cape May and similar historic resort towns. It would replace what is now used as a dirt and gravel parking lot.<\/p>\n

The complex was pitched at a workshop meeting of the borough\u2019s planning board Monday night, a informal meeting where prospective developers can engage with board members on future projects. It is likely the development, which would be known as \u201cSeaside Manor,\u201d will get a formal board hearing later this month. It would be located along the full length of Ocean Terrace between Hamilton and Franklin avenues, adjacent to the grand hotel and ballroom that has also been approved for construction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would call it a coastal Victorian style,\u201d said architect Jason Hanrahan. \u201cIt\u2019s very specific to that era of coastal development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The architecture of the project is unique for Seaside Heights, blending the signature Victorian styling with modern approaches to the use of space. All of the units would have three bedrooms and would measure between 2,000 to 2,300 square feet in area. The units would run east-to-west, meaning on the second residential floor, each will have views of both the Atlantic Ocean as well as Barnegat Bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesign-wise, it allows us to have both sunrise and sunset views, which creates a lot of interest in the units themselves,\u201d said Hanrahan. \u201cThey all have a master suite with a sitting area and a great room. All of the units have private access to a rooftop terrace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The proposed \u2018Seaside Manor\u2019 complex in Seaside Heights. (Planning Document)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The proposed \u2018Seaside Manor\u2019 complex in Seaside Heights. (Planning Document)<\/p><\/div>\n

Some units would also have an internal rooftop area with eastern-facing balconies. A central elevator would bring residents to a corridor on the first residential floor where each could be accessed, with the second floor hosting the full east-to-west run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe created a rooftop that allows us to set the building back as we get higher,\u201d Hanrahan explained.<\/p>\n

Though relatively minimal, board members did pause to discuss what would be a required height variance for the structure. The maximum allowed height in the zone is 41-feet, while the proposed building would stand 49-feet tall. But the extra eight feet exists largely because a portion of the rooftop deck is enclosed; a facade or less-than-full enclosure would likely bring the building within the limits of the ordinance. Board members all acknowledged the impressive nature of the building\u2019s design, and signaled reticence to modifying it, but asked Hanrahan and the property owners to consider some type of alternative to the full enclosure since, one board member said, residents have occasionally complained about the heights of some of the borough\u2019s newly constructed buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a minimal visual impact on the boardwalk, but from Ocean Terrace, it would be difficult to see that high,\u201d Hanrahan said, explaining that the roof design is one of the central features that brings together the overall appearance of the structure.<\/p>\n

The building, as envisioned, would also include a small 1,200 square foot space for a small business along Ocean Terrace, which attorney Brian Shemesh, representing the property owner, described as \u201cpedestrian walkable\u201d retail \u2013 likely a small coffee or bagel shop.<\/p>\n

The complex would also include 29 parking spaces, and would require one on-street space on Franklin Avenue to be sacrificed for a driveway. No parking would be given up on Hamilton Avenue or Ocean Terrace.<\/p>\n

A formal hearing is expected either in late June or later this summer, with Shemesh telling board members he will confer with his client \u2013 the estate of the property\u2019s longtime owner \u2013 on the potential height variance.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the character of what\u2019s going next to it, we believe this is relatively modest,\u201d he said, referencing the 102-room hotel. \u201cWe understand there is a deviation, but we\u2019re not trying to jam as many units as possible into a small space.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was echoed by Hanrahan, who has been the architect of many new properties in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want it to be consistent with the other architecture in the area and we don\u2019t want to overstep our bounds,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we do want to create the architecture that allows us to have that Victorian element. It\u2019s going to be something very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seaside Heights may soon have its own dash of Victorian style, with officials expected to consider a 16-unit townhome development on Ocean Terrace that will be built in a style reminiscent of Cape May and similar historic resort towns. It would replace what is now used as a dirt and gravel parking lot. The complex […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[2903,1959,715,81,20,2904],"class_list":["post-17536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seaside-government","category-seaside-heights","tag-coastal-victorian-architecture","tag-featured","tag-ocean-terrace","tag-redevelopment","tag-seaside-heights-nj-news","tag-seaside-manor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/seaside_manor.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgsn9q-4yQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17536"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17547,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17536\/revisions\/17547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}