Major Redevelopment Plan Proposes Direct Ferry From NYC To Belmar, NJ
BELMAR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A major redevelopment plan could create a new hot spot on the Jersey Shore.
The proposal also includes a new way to beat the summer traffic from the city.
Sick of NJ Transit delays or sitting in traffic on the parkway to get down the shore? How does a 50-minute direct ferry from New York City to Belmar, New Jersey, sound?
That's in the works with a proposal to revitalize the Seaport area behind the Route 35 bridge, transforming a sprawling parking lot and municipal building into housing and more.
It would be walkable to the train station, Shark River Marina and the downtown.
"I think anything they can do to build up the downtown of Belmar ... I think it would be great," one Belmar resident told CBS2's Meg Baker.
The plan calls for a 100-room hotel and conference center at the north end of town at Fifth and Main Street.
"We would like to see a stronger and more vital downtown business district that is able to support year-round residents and additional commercial activity," said Doug McCoach with the DOBCO Group.
Mayor Mark Walsifer says there is still a lot of work to be done before the proposal is finalized.
"There has to be infrastructure studies. There has to be parking studies. There has to be traffic studies," he said.
Belmar is flooded with 60,000 people on summer weekends. Parking will be a priority. More transit options, like the 450-person ferry, could help ease that burden and would benefit local daily commuters.
