Artist Rendering of Starlight Resort Hotel

WILDWOOD — One down, five to go.

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has given the go-ahead to the city’s first high-rise hotel.

The Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, commonly called CAFRA, permit went to the 23-story Starlight Resort, a high-rise “condotel” developed by the Bill Morey Family, BMF Investments, that will be built on a parking lot on Ocean Avenue between Juniper and Poplar avenues.

The CAFRA permit was approved May 1, according to DEP spokesperson Karen Hershey.

The 255-foot building would consist of five floors of parking, with 654 available spaces. Plans for the sixth floor include housing a common area with a hotel lobby, a 200-seat restaurant and an indoor/outdoor pool that overlooks the beach. The remaining floors will hold 264 residential units.

Before the Starlight receives its certificate of occupancy, the “permittee must have $442,000 to the City of Wildwood Parking Authority for the construction of a new parking garage. In addition, the new parking garage must be completed and open for business prior to occupancy of any unit or space within the new building,” according to the permits condition.

In addition “the permittee must complete the infrastructure improvements required by the Wildwood Water Utility.”

The state permit comes more than two years after BMF Investments first went before the city’s zoning board asking for approval and more than a year since the state issued instructions on how the city could garner state approval.

The city’s first high-rise condotel application, the proposed 25-story Nouveau Wave Hotel, was approved by the zoning board back in 2004, but rejected in 2006 by the CAFRA permitting process. The lot at the corner of Rio Grande and Ocean avenues remains vacant.

The June 2006 reject letter stated that the towering structure, which would include five stories of parking, a pool deck, five stories of hotel rooms, and 11 stories of condos, at the site of the now demolished Rio Motel on Rio Grande and Ocean avenues, was “out of character” with the surrounding area. Additionally, the building would be a potential danger to migratory birds, public safety, and damaging to the collection of doo-wop motels.

A March 15 letter to Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. from Mark Mauriello, assistant commissioner for land use regulation, offered a sort of compromise between the state and would-be developers.

“We believe that high-rise structures can be accommodated in certain areas of the city as long as they are part of a comprehensive municipal plan that recognizes New Jersey’s shore economy and tourism industry as well as long-standing and emerging coastal resources and public safety issues,” states Mauriello.

The city has approved ordinances keeping with the state’s suggestions.

The high-rise development has continued to be a point of contention, with some residents warning that this project, as well as others that were approved, are too dense a proposal for the surrounding area. Other concerns include increased traffic, especially during construction, shadow coverage from the building, and blocked views.

Proponents of the high-rises argue that a building, like the Starlight, is needed to provide much-needed rooms for the convention center. In addition, the project would provide for construction jobs and numerous year-round employment opportunities when completed.

The city has approved six high-rise condotels including, the Nouveau Wave, the Wildwood Beach Resort and Hotel, the Starlight Resort, the East Bennett Project the Waypoint Beach Club, and the Riviera.

Bill Morey Jr., of the development company, did not return phone calls for comment by this newspaper’s deadline.

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