By Donald Wittkowski
You might want to call it Springfield Inn 2.0 or Springfield Inn Jr.
The prospective buyers of the quintessential no-frills seashore bar that has been part of Sea Isle City’s nightclub scene since the 1970s plan to keep the Springfield Inn name if they complete the deal and redevelop the property.
“The old Springfield Inn will come down and the new Springfield Inn will be built. They are staying with the Springfield theme,” said Janet DeLorenzo, an agent with Coldwell Banker James C. Otton Real Estate Inc. who is handling the sale.
Three main partners described by DeLorenzo as “Jersey Shore guys” are looking to buy the bar. She said one of the partners has restaurant experience, but declined to disclose more information about the group.
“They’re Jersey Shore guys. It’s a good group,” she said.
In a nod to the Springfield Inn’s nearly 50-year history in Sea Isle, the buyers want to preserve the iconic name by retaining it when the property is redeveloped into a new bar and nightclub, DeLorenzo noted.
SeaIsleNews.com first reported in February that the Springfield was up for sale for $6.7 million. In an interview Thursday, DeLorenzo revealed for the first time that the old name will stay if the deal is completed.
“The Springfield will live on,” she said.
In the meantime, it appears the old Springfield will remain open for at least one more summer season. DeLorenzo explained that the buyers would wait until after the 2019 summer tourism season to begin construction on the redevelopment project.
“What they’re doing, Sea Isle’s going to love it,” she said. “It’s a big positive. They are keeping the Springfield with the same theme as the last 50 years.”
The beachfront property has been on the market as part of a proposed redevelopment plan that would see the Springfield’s existing building replaced with a three-story complex featuring a new restaurant, retail space, outdoor bar and upscale condominiums. The Sea Isle Planning Board has already approved the redevelopment plan.
Architectural renderings give a glimpse of the proposed development project. They depict a restaurant on the ground level as well as an outdoor beachfront bar. The top two floors would be occupied by 13 condos featuring their own terraces. DeLorenzo said the prospective buyers are tweaking the plans to reduce the number of condos on the second floor.
Other than unconfirmed rumors about the deal possibly falling through, not much had been heard about the sale since it was first revealed in May that the property was under contract to undisclosed buyers.
The sale was supposed to close in October, but has been extended by another six to nine months while the buyers consider their options and go through an extensive due diligence process, DeLorenzo said. She would not divulge the proposed purchase price.
Known for its shabby chic interior, the Springfield has possessed a special allure for legions of casually dressed customers ever since it opened in 1972 under the ownership of the Bisciotti family. Sisters Betsy Cooney, Terry Eidenberg and Joanne Bisciotti have followed their parents, Joe and Liz Bisciotti, as the Springfield’s owners.
In its current iteration, the Springfield includes a nightclub and the outdoor Carousel Bar, a casual watering hole adjacent to the city’s oceanfront Promenade walkway. Popular with crowds that come right off the beach, the Springfield is known for its unadorned surroundings.
DeLorenzo said there will be a new outdoor bar, also called the Carousel, if the property changes hands and is redeveloped.
The Springfield’s coveted beachfront location at 43rd Street and Pleasure Avenue makes it a strong candidate for redevelopment. It is the only beachfront business in Sea Isle that has a liquor license.
It may be the latest local establishment to capitalize on a 2008 change in the city’s zoning law that allows businesses to rebuild commercial properties while adding more residential space.
The mixed-use projects include commercial establishments such as bars, restaurants and retail shops operating on the street level, while the top floors feature condos or apartments.
In the past two years, three projects combining commercial space with condos on top have been built in Sea Isle’s Townsends Inlet section. Construction is underway on two similar projects in Sea Isle’s downtown business corridor on Landis Avenue between 42nd and 44th streets.
