Architect's rendering of proposed TKC Restaurant on Pacific Avenue.

WILDWOOD — Looking for a new place to grab a bite or enjoy a cocktail?

Pacific Avenue may be the street to visit.

As early as this summer, developers hope to open the doors of four new restaurants on this city’s main business street.

At the city’s Planning Board meeting Jan. 22, business owner Wally Lerro presented his plan for a two-floor restaurant and bar that will replace a closed carpet store and photo business at 3401 Pacific Avenue.

Lerro said his new venture, dubbed The Deck on Holly Beach, would contain a “pub type atmosphere with casual food and atmosphere.”

“It is not going to be a nightclub,” he said.

The first floor would house the kitchen and main dining area, he said. There would be no changes to the footprint of the building, but a second floor is planned that would contain a bar area with an open deck. There is also a plan to have an outdoor patio.

The design, Lerro added, will compliment the Doo Wop streetscape on Pacific Avenue.

If all the plans fall into place, Lerro told the Herald that he plans to open by the beginning of summer.

Board Chairperson Mike Porch said he applauded Lerro’s effort to “continue to invest in downtown Wildwood and looked forward to seeing more of the project in the coming weeks.”

The plans will be before the board again on Feb. 18.

Also before the board, was the work session for a new multi-level complex that would hold three upscale restaurants planned at the current site of Club Shakers.

Attorney Louis C. Dwyer, who represents the project developers, told the board that the building was “going to undergo a lot more than a renovation.”

“It is a lot more like a dramatic transformation,” he said.

According to the plans, portions of the one-story structure would be reconstructed to meet building codes. The building’s height would stretch to about 32 feet.

The first floor would hold Tangerine, a restaurant specializing in continental cuisine, and Kamakura, a hibachi and sushi restaurant. The restaurant-club Coconuts would be housed on the second floor, surrounded by glass window panels that could retract, enabling patrons to enjoy the open air.

“It certainly is an interesting concept and it is new to Wildwood,” Porch said of the retractable roof design.

Both Tangerine and Coconuts would offer evening entertainment and stay open until 3 a.m.

In addition to an outside seating area, the plans for the complex include a request for the city to vacate Cedar Avenue, which would enable developers to build a public plaza.

“The plaza area would act as a gathering spot before patrons enter the complex and as they leave,” said Daniel Shousky, project architect.

Joe Palombaro, the owner of Shakers nightclub and developer of the new complex, said that interior work has already begun inside Shakers, and if all the plans are approved the complex could be open this spring.

He added that the complex would be open year-round in an attempt to “jump-start” other business to follow a similar trend.
The public hearing on the project is scheduled for the Planning Board’s Feb. 4 meeting.

Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com