What is the Future for this Condemned Building in Ocean City, New Jersey

Voted one of New Jersey's Most Beautiful Islands, Ocean City is one of the most popular Shore Towns in South Jersey.  Each summer, you can expect over 100,000 people to be in Ocean City between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

However, for the 2024 summer season, one of the most beautiful islands in New Jersey has a massive eye sore for visitors coming to the coastal community.

When you use Garden State Parkway Exit 25 and drive down Roosevelt Boulevard to enter Ocean City, you enter the south end of the island at 34th Street. At the light where 34th Street meets Bay Avenue, to your right is the ACME Supermarket, but to your left is an abandoned property.

What Is This Condemned Property In Ocean City?

The Seaspray Hotel first opened in 1960 and was converted into Seaspray Condominium in 1980.  The two-level property with a pool has been home to vacationers and year-round residents for decades.

The property has had a chainlink fence surrounding the building for the last several months and features red signs on the apartment doors saying “unsafe for human occupancy.”

The Seaspray Condos was shut down by Ocean City officials after concrete fell through an exterior doorway on the north end of the property on April 17th.  The complex has been the subject of ongoing litigation after competing Engineers have conflicting reports about the condition of the 45-year-old building.

Now all of the condo owners and renters at the Seaspray have been forced out after Ocean City Construction Official Neil Byrne on May 8th deemed the building “unsafe due to continued deterioration of the structural elements.”

What Is Next For The Seaspray Condominium?

The property is currently listed on the Sabal Real Estate website on sale for $7 million. Here is their description of the currently shuttered Seaspray Condo:

"Prime Real Estate, Redevelopment Opportunity. Existing building consists of 32 condo units. Located just off of The Garden State Parkway in desirable Ocean City, NJ. Corner 34th and Bay Ave."

Potential buyers who may be interested are encouraged to contact the realtor "to obtain more information". Conveniently, nothing about the building being deemed "unsafe" or the ominous chainlink fence around the property is mentioned on the real estate website listing.

I used to live at the Seaspray Condominium 13 years ago. While the property's aesthetic is definitely in need of an upgrade, the condos were an inexpensive rental option in a town full of overpriced properties.

Safe to assume this building, which has been labeled "unsafe" by multiple people, will likely be demolished by the next owner.  This will pave the way for a new property to take its place.  The premiere location leads most people to believe the next building will be the home to a more upscale resort property to attract new clientele to the island.

If someone pays $7 million for the property at the corner of 34th Street, then I am assuming that individual understands they are overpaying.  Yes, if you tear down the building and put a new resort property there, that has tremendous value if you have millions of dollars to spare.

Ocean City, rated one of the Best Family-Friendly Vacation Towns in South Jersey, is a Coastal Community with a lot to offer vacationers and locals. Here is just some of the reasons why this Shore Town is special to numerous people: