Desert Palm Motel, Seaside Park, NJ, February 2023 (Photo: Daniel Nee)
A new well and demolition of a used motel have been formally proposed for state approval in Seaside Park.
A mandatory public hearing on the matter is scheduled to be held before the City Council on Nov. 7, 2024, according to the notice. The new well is proposed to be built on part of the site of what was for many years known as the Desert Palm Motel, which has been in the midst of a long history of code violations and police intervention into criminal activity. It was criticized by the local government. The motel will be demolished.
The borough council has been seeking to demolish the motel for years and has selected a demolition contractor, but the motel’s former owners have continued to litigate despite a series of court losses. But his latest quest was a last resort. It was to petition the New Jersey Supreme Court to reverse the Superior Court’s Appellate Division’s decision.
The former owner, Ramesh Kania, a doctor from North Jersey, is seeking the surrender of the prominent property, arguing that the borough did not specify a specific public purpose in its condemnation. However, the borough argues that the property qualifies as an area in need of redevelopment based on its derelict condition and safety violations, and there is no need to specify a specific public purpose for the condemnation in the resolution passed by the council. and successfully argued. Allow photography.
Desert Palm Inn, Seaside Park, NJ, September 2022 (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Desert Palm Inn, March 21, 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Desert Palm Inn, March 21, 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)
Perhaps ironically, this hearing was necessary because the district plans to follow the well and use part of the property for public purposes. The district is also investigating whether the land could be used in conjunction with a “green parking” grant previously awarded to the town.
The borough is seeking loan funding through the New Jersey Water Bank, which will require further public hearings. The proposed well construction project will be completed in two phases. First, a new test well will be installed on the property, then the motel will be demolished and the test well converted to a public drinking well. A new well shed and generator will also be built on the site, after which the existing, but failing, well at 1616 Lake Avenue will be decommissioned.
Project specifications are published online by the district. The test well will be drilled to a depth of approximately 500 feet at a 500 gallon per minute facility. At a minimum, a 24-hour pump test at 120 percent capacity or a 72-hour pump test at 100 percent capacity is performed to confirm well yield and water quality tests are performed. The scope of work also includes well drilling, casing rigging and installation, well screens, gravel packs, grouts, seals, casing seals, steel caps and lids, permitting, and all testing.
In such a scenario, the land may be subdivided to separate the well site from other uses. Officials said drilling a well on the Desert Palm property would eliminate the need for the town to acquire private land elsewhere in the borough.
A public hearing on this matter will be held on Thursday, November 7, 2024, in the council chambers above the police station at 6th Avenue and Central Avenue.
