By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
A Sea Isle City home that is more than a century old and has been the focus of a series of redevelopment plans that never panned out is getting a new owner.
The modest two-story house at 8505 Landis Avenue was built in 1900, just 18 years after Sea Isle was founded as an oceanfront resort in 1872 by visionary real estate developer Charles K. Landis.
The home had been on the market for $995,000 for several months. Sea Isle real estate broker Jamie Sofroney, who handled the sale, confirmed that the property has been sold and the deal will close on Tuesday.
The sale price has not yet been disclosed. The buyer, an outfit called 8505 Landis Avenue LLC, has not yet revealed its plans for the property. Sofroney said the buyer is still considering what to do with the site, but the old house will likely be demolished.
“The indications are that they will explore mixed-use opportunities on the property. But at this time, they haven’t fully decided and haven’t even consulted with an architect yet,” Sofroney said of the new owner in an interview Monday.
The real estate listing touts the site for its potential as a mixed-use development that would include commercial space on the first two floors and a luxury three-bedroom residential unit on the third story featuring “breathtaking ocean views from the deck.”
“This property is perfect for a variety of uses. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity. The owner is open to considering all offers. This offering is for the existing property and includes plans for the proposed mixed-use dwelling,” the listing said.
At different times, consideration has been given to possibly renovating the house to save it, tearing it down to build a new home or redeveloping the property for mixed use.
Local real estate agent Jamie Sofroney once had plans to build a new single-family home on the site, but he withdrew the project.
Sofroney owned the old house at one point, but sold his interest to his business partner after Sea Isle’s Zoning Board questioned Sofroney’s plan in 2020 to build a new single-family home in an area zoned for commercial development. The property remains zoned for commercial use.
Most recently, the house was owned by ENR Investments LLC, a Swainton company. ENR Investments received Sea Isle Planning Board approval in November 2022 to redevelop the site for a mixed-use project featuring commercial space on the first two floors and a residential unit on the third story.
ENR, though, never moved forward with those plans and has now sold the property to 8505 Landis Avenue LLC. Sea Isle builder Brian O’Neill is the principal of ENR Investments.
The house served as a private residence for more than 90 years in Sea Isle's Townsends Inlet section after it was built in 1900. It was converted into an office for a realty company in 1992, but has remained vacant in recent years other than a construction company using it as a small office and storage space.
Sofroney said the old house is deteriorated and has “outlived its useful life.” He believes it should be demolished. Cracks in the foundation are among the structural problems with the house, he noted.
If the old house is eventually torn down to make way for mixed-use development, it will be part of an increasingly popular trend in Sea Isle. In recent years, a number of old homes have been demolished for mixed-use projects, which usually include restaurants or retail shops on the first floor and condos on the top two stories.
Projects combining commercial and residential space have been in favor in Sea Isle ever since the city changed its zoning laws in 2008 to encourage mixed-use construction.
The 124-year-old house at 8505 Landis Avenue, at left, has a gray home from the same era next door.
