1 week Ago
Residents fear an up-and-coming restaurant along Long Beach Island’s main street would burden property owners who already grapple with too much traffic and not enough parking each summer. Two restauranteurs hope their new location, named HCH after the real estate agency that operated at the property in Harvey Cedars, can get approvals after land-use officials have voted multiple times against an application for their project. The borough’s land use board voted 8-0 against the application for the 108-seat restaurant at a former real estate office at 8103 Long Beach Boulevard.
The vote follows repeated outcry from residents arguing a restaurant that size would unintentionally create too busy of an area in summer and that the plan doesn’t call for enough parking. The block nearest the building is already occupied by a marketplace and an ice cream parlor. Marilyn Upton, who has been a full-time resident near the property since 2013, supports the concept of a restaurant being reachable by foot but believes the parking debate must be settled.
“I’m more in favor of it than having houses there and having rentals,” Upton said. “The only problem is the parking.” The request comes about a year after borough commissioners narrowly passed changes to off-street parking.
Last May, commissioners updated borough code to allow four parking spaces for each seat at food retailers. Previously, only three spaces were allowed for each seat. Local officials did not return requests from NJ Advance Media for comment.
Meanwhile, the building’s owners remain committed to their project, exploring changes to their plan that could appeal to officials and residents. Once opened, the restaurant, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. “There’s a lot of factors.
..that we’re still trying to figure out,” said Tony Marinho, a hospitality consultant for the business owners.
Some options, he said, could include removing seats from their restaurant. An outdoor picnic and bar area, named “Harvey’s Yard,” may be omitted from future applications. It was unclear when a revision could be re-presented the the land use board again.
Restaurant partners have formed plans to transform a former real estate office on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, into the shore's newest family friendly eatery. Tony Marinho, provided Marinho’s clients opened their first restaurant in the borough, Azzurri Italian Cucina, last year. The restaurant, which is also along Long Beach Boulevard a few blocks from the former office building, features a mostly Italian-American menu.
The new restaurant, Marinho said, would incorporate traditional Jersey-centric food personalized by the head chef. The building was sold to the business partners for $3 million by local realtor company Hardenbergh Canetti & Hill Inc. The sale finished in December, Ocean County tax records show.
Earlier this year, the business requested approvals for a 132-seat restaurant inside the dormant office, according to an application obtained by NJ Advance Media. The renovations would include a three-bed, three-bathroom apartment on the second floor, the application states. The application was revised before mid-April’s hearing, dropping the seat count to 108 at the land use board members’ suggestion.
In the follow-up application, developers sought a variance for 18,000 square feet of parking space. Another variance was needed to allow seven parking spaces on the property’s north side to conform with borough code. The restaurant owners hope to have clearance in time for the business to open before summer 2026.
“Our goal was to be able to get the approvals and get the planning and start working on getting contractors lined up, so that we could start at the end of the season,” Marinho said. “It’s still obtainable.” Stories by Eric Conklin Rock legend’s restaurant, criticized for helping homeless, feeds N.
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? What we do and don’t know. Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust.
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