A $25 million offer has been made for the former Gillian's Wonderland Pier site on the Ocean City Boardwalk by South Jersey attorney Philip Norcross and other members of his family, a spokesperson said Friday.
The Norcrosses' bid for the former amusement park site is one of two that Icona Resorts CEO Eustace Mita — who owns the property — has received in the weeks since his proposal for a luxury hotel was dashed in a vote by City Council.
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The decades-old amusement park closed in October, prompting heated debate about future development of the site.
Mita confirmed Friday he's received two bids. He did not identify the other potential buyer and the amount of the competing offer for the property at Sixth Street. Before the bid came in, Mita told the Ocean City Sentinel he expected the second bidder to be Virginia-based home builder NVR, Inc.
Dan Fee, a spokesperson for the Norcross family, said in a statement Friday that Philip is interested in constructing townhomes on the boardwalk property.
"As a long-time Ocean City homeowner who is committed to the future of the city, Phil believes there is a great opportunity to redevelop Wonderland Pier and maintain Ocean City as America's greatest family resort," Fee said. "The addition of new, high end townhome options will help ensure the next generation can build memories in the city, just as his family has."
Mita purchased the Wonderland Pier site in 2021 for a reported $14 million. Former owner and Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, whose family ran the amusement park for three generations, sold the property to avoid a sheriff's sale as a result of $8 million in defaulted mortgage loans. Wonderland Pier remained open for three more seasons before Gillian announced plans to close, saying the amusement park was no longer a viable business. Mita said he's carried annual costs of $1.2 million since buying the property, putting his total investment around $20 million.
For much of the past year, Mita sought support in Ocean City for a $150 million plan to build an eight-story, 252-room hotel at the site. Ocean City's zoning laws don't permit new hotels on the boardwalk, and the project would have required a variance to move forward. The proposal sparked controversy in Ocean City, where some residents claimed a high-rise hotel would diminish the town's family-friendly reputation.
In August, City Council voted 6-1 against a measure that would have asked the planning commission to review the Wonderland Pier site as an area in need of redevelopment. Mita, who was present for the vote, immediately vowed to sell the property and pull out of Ocean City. The council members who voted against the measure said they hoped to evaluate the site as part of a broader master planning process that would not have fit with Mita's development timeline.
Philip Norcross is a public finance attorney with Mount Laurel-based Parker McCay and serves as chair of the Cooper Foundation, the charitable arm of Cooper University Health Care. He is the brother of U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1st) and George E. Norcross III, the executive chairman of insurance firm Conner Strong & Buckelew and longtime political powerbroker in South Jersey.
In February, a judge tossed out racketeering indictments against Philip and George Norcross — as well as four others — saying the charges didn't state facts that constituted extortion or criminal coercion with respect to past business deals on the Delaware River waterfront in Camden. This week, the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller accused George Norcross' insurance firm of a conflict of interest. Norcross denied the allegations and said the claims are an abuse of the power of the comptroller's office.
Mita operated the Wonderland Pier property this summer as an arcade and pizza shop. As part of his proposed hotel, he had said he would keep the amusement park's prominent Ferris wheel, carousel and a few other rides running at the property.
In addition to the two bids Mita disclosed, members of the community group Ocean City 2050 — the most vocal opponent of the hotel project — said last month that another investment group is interested in purchasing the Wonderland Pier property. Ocean City 2050 has touted its own vision for a scaled-down Wonderland Commons amusement park with fewer, simpler rides and entertainment options that appeal more to teenagers. The group said that plan also would include a small number of condominiums.
Over the summer, Ocean City 2050 commissioned Rutgers University's Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling to conduct a survey of residents about the hotel and boardwalk. The poll found people leaned against the Wonderland hotel and were especially against building high-rise properties on the boardwalk.
Disclaimer: Philip Norcross is the uncle of PhillyVoice founder and Chairwoman Lexie Norcross. George E. Norcross III is her father.