{"id":18566,"date":"2026-05-12T09:43:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/?p=18566"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:42:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:42:05","slug":"no-high-rises-in-seaside-heights-why-officials-evolved-their-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/2026\/05\/no-high-rises-in-seaside-heights-why-officials-evolved-their-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"No High-Rises in Seaside Heights: Why Officials Evolved Their Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Renderings<\/a>

Renderings and plans for the former \u2018steel structure\u2019 redevelopment effort, Seaside Heights, N.J. (Source: SSH Redevelopment Plan Deck)<\/p><\/div>\n

Coastal redevelopment across the United States has often relied upon high-rise residential buildings to revitalize communities and spur development opportunities to take advantage of ocean views. Locally, Long Branch has most prominently developed tall buildings along its beaches as the transformation of that town has taken shape over the past two decades, and Asbury Park has grown more dense \u2013 and tall \u2013 with a return to higher buildings. The tallest building there was constructed in 1974, and rises 256 feet to encompass 27 stories. High-profile coastal towns out of state, like Naples or Boca Raton, FL, saw their oceanfront areas dotted with tall buildings interspersed by public beach access points as they transformed from small communities to large ones.<\/p>\n

In Seaside Heights, the borough council first dipped its toe into a tall \u2013 but not as tall \u2013 project with plans approved for a 10-story mixed-use building to replace the \u201csteel structure\u201d at Hamilton Avenue and the Boulevard in 2021. As Shorebeat has reported in recent months, the plans fell apart following years of inaction by the would-be redeveloper. Last week, news emerged that the developer is suing the borough in the wake of the aborted partnership. But more importantly, the borough council took the first step toward soliciting proposals for new private developers to build on the prime property located in the center of the town\u2019s business district. This time, however, whatever building will be constructed there will be capped at just five floors and 60-feet \u2013 a more modest approach that borough officials say is the result of a preference both on the part of elected officials and feedback from residents.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Seaside Heights boardwalk, Oct. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The oceanfront in Boca Raton, FL, looking north from Boca Inlet. (Photo: Shorebeat\/Boca Daily News)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was really about two things,\u201d said Mayor Anthony Vaz. \u201cWe heard feedback from the public, obviously. But we also now have some experience. When they came in with this grandiose project, we knew it was high, but we approved it. We wanted our first project to get off the ground, and be something good for the town, especially after all those years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 10-story building would have replaced the long-rotting steel framing and girders that rusted in storms and baked in the sun for a decade \u2013 the result of yet another construction project that never came to fruition. That building had been envisioned as an entertainment complex with nightclubs, restaurants and a pool club \u2013 a concept that had become a relic of the late 1990s and early 2000s nightclub craze that spurred MTV\u2019s \u201cJersey Shore.\u201d The raucous club scene has exited Seaside Heights, and even in areas where nightlife is still central to the economy, the business has shifted toward high-end clubs, often paired with premium hotels and resorts. In Seaside Heights, the focus has been on maintaining a more family-friendly boardwalk while hoping for mixed uses of retail, restaurant and residential development along the Boulevard corridor. The central business district has always been dense \u2013 but never tall.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the course of redevelopment across the whole community, we found that people were concerned about the \u2018hype,\u2019 so to speak,\u201d said Vaz. \u201cWe took that seriously, and we said, \u2018Well, you know what? That\u2019s probably right.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t have to be about the height, but the beauty of what\u2019s going to be built.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the vision for large-scale redevelopment evolved into a theme, the cadre of architects who have designed the majority of the Seaside Heights\u2019 redevelopment properties have focused on a \u201cmodern coastal\u201d design rather than those typically found in high rises. As recently as last week, planning board members approved a new condominium building on the northern end of the boardwalk \u2013 replacing what has long been an empty lot \u2013 but were able to persuade the developer at the meeting to utilize \u201cbeachy\u201d colors rather than an industrial-style theme that might be more suited to major coastal cities like Miami or San Diego.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The \u2018Coastal Edge\u2019 building under construction on the Boulevard, Seaside Heights, in 2025. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The \u2018Coastal Edge\u2019 building under construction on the Boulevard, Seaside Heights, in 2025. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n

Redevelopment along the Boulevard \u2013 and elsewhere \u2013 has proven a smashing success. The large \u201cCoastal Edge\u201d property replaced the former Karma nightclub and is now bustling with sales, and drawing eyes of passersby with its edgy design and mixed-use energy along the main thoroughfare. A five-story, 48-unit condominium building is finally being proposed for the property that once housed its sister-nightclub, Bamboo. Along Ocean Terrace, the 500 Ocean property has drawn a great deal of interest from buyers across the street from the boardwalk. And K. Hovnanian injected a great deal of confidence in the town\u2019s redevelopment plans after they purchased multiple properties \u2013 including one which housed a troubled motel \u2013 to build a townhome community on the south side. All of the buildings have one thing in common, however: they don\u2019t exceed five or six stories, depending on when they were approved.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of those redevelopment projects had similar height requirements and restrictions on them,\u201d said Vaz, indicating that moving forward, height will be a consideration in redevelopment projects.<\/p>\n

In New Jersey, designated redevelopment sites differ from a general piece of property being offered for sale. When a property meets certain criteria, including a study conducted by professionals who testify before the planning board, they can be formally declared an \u201carea in need of redevelopment.\u201d That means the town can individually set their own specifications for that redevelopment, which would differ from the traditional zoning that governs and particular block and lot. The idea is to spur development in places that have languished without previous interest, or to quickly improve an area that has deteriorated.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A proposed mixed-use property to replace the \u2018steel structure\u2019 in Seaside Heights. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"High-rises<\/a>

High-rises along the ocean in Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Shorebeat\/Boca Daily News)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe had people go to the planning board \u2013 public participation \u2013 and give their feedback,\u201d said Vaz. \u201cHeight seemed to be the biggest factor in things that came up. They didn\u2019t want it to be \u2018another Long Branch\u2019 where you have 10 story built all in a row. It works in some places like there and in Naples [Florida], for instance, but in those places you\u2019re talking about a city versus what most people here consider a town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, the council authorized \u201crequests for expressions of interest\u201d for new ideas on the \u201csteel structure\u201d property, though no formal request for proposals are being accepted. At the same meeting, the governing body authorized a fourth amended redevelopment plan, this time limiting the height of a prospective building to five stories. The Hamilton Avenue project will almost certainly not be the last redevelopment designation in Seaside Heights, but it is expected that the borough\u2019s experiment with tall real estate has ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of excitement at the first big project, and through discussion and a little persuasion, we approved it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in the future, we have an obligation to listen the community, and that [building height] was the most common concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Coastal redevelopment across the United States has often relied upon high-rise residential buildings to revitalize communities and spur development opportunities to take advantage of ocean views. Locally, Long Branch has most prominently developed tall buildings along its beaches as the transformation of that town has taken shape over the past two decades, and Asbury Park […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18572,"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":true,"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":[3022,1959,3020,81,20,3021],"class_list":["post-18566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seaside-government","category-seaside-heights","tag-building-height","tag-featured","tag-high-rise","tag-redevelopment","tag-seaside-heights-nj-news","tag-tall-buildings"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/seaside_comparison.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgsn9q-4Ps","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18566","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=18566"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18578,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18566\/revisions\/18578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/lavallette-seaside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}