Ocean City reveals plans for new parking in one of its busiest areas

Over the last 50 years, New Jersey Shore Towns have faced issues with parking during the summer season. From weekend renters to day-trip beach visitors, these Coastal Communities have tried to find new ways to accommodate the flood of vehicles to the island each year.

There is a delicate balance between public and residential parking for many New Jersey Shore Towns. The majority of Coastal Communities have overlaps between year-round homes, seasonal rentals, and businesses throughout the islands.

One South Jersey Shore Taking an Outside-the-Box Approach To Create More Parking

During the summer months, there is a 1,200% increase in the number of people in Ocean City. A majority of those visitors and vacationers flood the downtown section of OC with hundreds of people roaming the boardwalk and business section every weekend.

But finding parking in this area of Ocean City has always been a challenge, even if you are willing to pay to park your vehicles for a few hours. That is why city officials started the process of creating more parking with the purchase of new properties last summer.

In 2025, Ocean City Council approved bond ordinances to purchase two of the oldest buildings on the island. The building at 846 Central Avenue was originally built in 1903, and city also owns the property next door at 844 Central Avenue. Both of these buildings are located behind Ocean City Hall and next door to a large city-owned municipal lot.

The iconic 124-year-old building at the corner of 9th Street and Central Avenue used to be home to the popular Maria's Cafe and Grill.  The restaurant is reopening at a new location in 2026.

Now that all the previous occupants and renters have vacated the two properties, Ocean City plans to demolish the two buildings to create more parking in the busy downtown section of the Coastal Community. This will create an entire city block of public parking between Ninth and Eighth Streets on Central Avenue.

Media reports state that the city has the demolition contractor going through the process of "the removal of asbestos from both properties". City Officials hope to have both buildings torn down after Easter Weekend and both lots cleared by the end of April.

Named one of South Jersey's Most Beautiful Shore Towns, Ocean City is one of the most beloved Shore Towns in the state: