By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
A new project expected to open this summer in Sea Isle City is transforming the look of the downtown business district with its contemporary design and sheer size.
The mixed-use development at the corner of 42nd Street and Landis Avenue will feature commercial space on the ground floor and four luxury condos on the top two stories.
Its sprawling size and modern design make it stand out in a section of the downtown long dominated by the smaller, older buildings lining both sides of the Landis Avenue corridor.
“It has more of a Longport or Margate feel to it,” Jim Burger, a principal with the construction company Advanced Coastal Homes, said of the Sea Isle project’s upscale vibe.
Burger’s company is building the project for the owner, an outfit called 4118 Landis LLC, a name taken from the address of the property. Burger and his business partner, Kevin Quinn, the principals in Advanced Coastal Homes, will also have a small ownership stake in the project.
In an interview Saturday, Burger said the project is expected to be completed by mid-June.
Burger noted that the development will help to diversify the downtown with new attractions featuring a contemporary style.
“Things are becoming more modern,” he said.
Construction began in June 2023 on what was then vacant property that had essentially been serving as an exclusive parking lot for a faded old red truck with the words “Sea Isle City” written on the side. The privately owned truck had been there for so long that it had become a local landmark.
Previously, the property served as the location for the Avalon Coffee Shop and Jamaican Me Crazy clothing store, which were both destroyed by a fire that broke out during a powerful winter storm in January 2016.
All four of the luxury condos included in the new mixed-use development are already under contract, Burger said. They feature four bedrooms and three bathrooms within 1,500 square feet of living space. Each condo will have a parking space located underneath the building.
The commercial space on the ground floor will include Coastview Cabinetry Studio, an existing business in Sea Isle that will move from its current location on Park Road, Burger said.
There are talks going on with a convenience store to possibly occupy the remaining commercial space in the building, he said.
The project is part of a trend in Sea Isle for new mixed-use developments that combine commercial space such as restaurants and retail shops on the first floor with upscale condos on the second and third stories.
In 2019, then-vacant land across the street at the opposite corner of 42nd and Landis was redeveloped into a three-story complex featuring commercial space on the street level and 12 luxury condos on the top two floors.
That project, known as Beachside Villas, was built on a site formerly occupied by the Creighton’s Trading Post hardware store, which was destroyed by fire in 2005.
Beachside Villas was developed by A&L LLC, a group that included Sea Isle businessmen Angelo Camano, the owner of the former Angelo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, and Lou Feola, the owner of CMC Air Conditioning & Heating.
A&L used Advanced Coastal Homes as the builder for that project.
Next up, Advanced Coastal Homes will build another, though smaller, mixed-use development on 42nd Street in downtown Sea Isle. The project will include one commercial spot on the ground level and two condos on the second and third floors.
Burger’s company will build the mixed-use project for the property owner, Lawrence Lane. Before he had it demolished a few months ago, Lane owned a Victorian home dating to 1900 on the same property at 30 42nd Street.
The old white house had featured a number of notable architectural embellishments, including its French-inspired Mansard roof. The front stairs, railings, front door and window trim were painted in a distinctive lavender color scheme.
Lane said in a 2023 interview (Historic Sea Isle Home Gets More Time Before Demolition | Sea Isle News) that he loved the house and was reluctant to demolish it. He explained that he had put a lot of work into the home over the years, but that its sheer age and old-style construction made it difficult to maintain.
Noting the deteriorated condition of the old house, Burger said city officials should be happy that it has been demolished and will be replaced by a mixed-use development adding new attractions to the downtown.
Burger estimated that Lane’s project will be completed by March 2025.
