The White Sand Hotel & Spa, Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., May 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The White Sands Hotel & Spa in Point Pleasant Beach will make its case before the borough’s planning board for an expansion on the west side of Ocean Avenue.
The resort complex spans both sides of Ocean Avenue between Philadelphia and Washington avenues. The expansion is being requested for the portion on the west side, encompassing two existing properties along Washington. The residential homes at 107 and 109 Washington Avenue would be demolished in favor of the expansion, if approved, a planning notice said.
The current building contains 56 hotel units, and was approved in 1996, the notice said. It was silent on how many new rooms would be added under the expansion, however the White Sands is seeking a use variance to utilize the properties as a hotel. A use variance, also known as a “D” variance in New Jersey, is required because the two residential properties are located within the SF-5 zone, which calls for single-family residential structures. Hotels are not a permitted use within the zone, therefore a use variance is being sought, which requires the support of a supermajority of board members voting in favor of granting it.
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The portion of Washington Street where single-family homes would be removed in order for the White Sands to expand, May 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The White Sand Hotel & Spa, Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., May 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The portion of Washington Avenue where single-family homes would be removed in order for the White Sands to expand, May 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The proposal requires several more minor “bulk” variances. For example, 107 parking spaces required, where 95 are proposed. Also, whereas a 10-foot buffer is normally required between the rear setback of a hotel and a residential property, just 2.89 feet is proposed in the application.
The height of the building also requires variance relief. Point Pleasant Beach’s zoning ordinance calls for a height limit of 35-feet, where the proposed building will stand approximately 40.79 feet from the top of the curb to the top of mansard roof, 46.29 feet to the top of the stair shaft and 49.29 feet to the top of what was termed an “optional lighthouse” in the planning notice. The new building would stand three stories tall.
A hearing on the application is scheduled for June 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building, located at 416 New Jersey Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach.
