Newsletter - April 29: Playland's Reopening Timeline Details

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In the email today:

📆 Upcoming events

🎠 Playland’s Castaway Cove gets approval for new roller coaster

🐺 Coyotes in Corson’s?

🔗 News links

🎽 Volunteers needed

🏠 Real estate update

🔥 Agent hot takes on new listings

💸 What mortgage fee increases mean for Ocean City

⚽️ Registration for summer rec programs begins May 1

🎟 Tickets and discounts

🌊 Weather and tides

📆 Upcoming Events in (and around) Ocean City

• April 29th

  • Sports Memorabilia Show

    • When: 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    • Where: Music Pier

    • Description: Vendors with merchandise and collector’s items representing a variety of sports and teams will be on display and for sale at the show. Admission is free. Super Bowl champion Brandon Graham and World Series champion Chad Durbin will be part of the show and they will greet fans and lead Q&A sessions as part of the event.

  • Boardwalk and Downtown Merchant Table Sales (Saturday and Sunday)

    • When: All day

    • Where: 6th to 14th Street on Asbury and The Boardwalk

    • Description: Outdoor shopping, baby!

  • Spring Into Summer Sidewalk Sale (Stone Harbor)

    • When: 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    • Where: 96th Street

    • Description: Outdoor shopping, baby!

• May 5th

  • Martin Z. Mollusk Day

    • When: 11:00 a.m.

    • Where: 9th Street Beach

    • Description: Come and find out if summer is coming early. Guest host, local weather personality, “Nor’Easter” Nick.

Other events to look forward to: Spring Block Party (May 6, 5th to 14th Street on Asbury), New Jersey Bronco Invasion (May 13-14, Boardwalk)

🤳 News Bits

EXCLUSIVE REPORTING: Playland’s Castaway Cove Gets Approval For New Roller Coaster 🎠

Playland’s Castaway Cove received unanimous approval from Ocean City’s zoning board on Wednesday night to move ahead with plans for a new roller coaster.

The ruling will allow Playland’s to continue construction on its Boardwalk-level arcade and begin development of a family-friendly coaster aimed for opening in 2025.

Earlier this week, we told you how Playland’s was waiting to get some clarity from Ocean City’s zoning board as to whether it needed a height variance for a proposed control tower atop the coaster. Hartley said that construction on the arcade had to be halted for eight weeks while they awaited clarity, delaying the arcade’s re-opening until at least late this summer.

Specifically, the board ruled now that the control tower would be considered part of the coaster, which does not require a height variance, and not part of the building itself, which would have required the variance.

Hartley had told me that it may take some time to get construction crews, which had moved on to other jobs, back on site. He confirmed plans are to aim for a late summer re-opening of the arcade and 2025 completion of the coaster.

Coyotes In Corson’s? 🐺

From the department of WTF comes this image from Shore Local Newsmagazine on Facebook showing what appears to be a coyote or coyotes in Corson’s Inlet State Park, marking the last time I ever go to Corson’s Inlet State Park.

One commenter (take this with GRAIN OF 🧂) reports seeing them in the South End:

Well, there goes the rabbit problem. Replaced by: a coyote problem.

News Links 🔗

• Cape May Brewing announced plans to buy the assets of Flying Fish Brewing 🍻

• Northern Lights visible in South Jersey 🌌

• Here’s how much Philly athletes are getting paid to come to the Sports and Memorabilia Show ⚾️

🎽 Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed to help at a Special Olympics Track and Field meet held at Carey Stadium on May 7.

The Recreation Department is seeking volunteers to staff the meet, including:

• Escorts (to walk athletes from their staging area to the starting line or from the finish line to the awards area)

• Timers/distance measurers

• Sheet runners (to collect sheets of recorded times or distances).

• Fun zone volunteers: There will be games and face-painting set up for when the athletes aren't competing.

Here’s the link to sign up.

🏠 Real Estate Update

Agent Hot Takes on New Listings 🔥

We launched a new series where our on-staff local agents give their HOT TAKES on the new listings of the week.

The standout this week:

2311 Central Ave - $1,829,000.00

Both floors available.

• Local Agent Take: I wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t last more than a day. Same as its first floor its in an amazing location. Its what everyone wants. Id put money this is under contract right away.

Here’s the full list.

What Mortgage Fee Increases Mean for Ocean City Real Estate 💸

We wrote a detailed article on this but here are the takeaways.

If you’re buying a primary home in Ocean City: If you have a LTV ratio of anywhere between 70-95% totaling less than $726,000, and have decent credit, then yes, you’ll pay a bit more in fees. If you have a Jumbo Loan, lower LTV, or very bad or great credit, your mileage will vary.

If you’re buying a second home: The good news is that the current fee increase doesn’t impact second home mortgages… the bad news is that increase took effect in 2022 and was substantial— anywhere between ~1% and almost 4% in fees. It used to be that primary and second homes paid the same in fees, but no longer.

One thing to know: The new fees are already in place. The media is reporting May 1 as the date for this change, but that’s the date for when loans are sent by banks to Fannie and Freddie, typically a few weeks after they close. So any rates you’re getting quoted now do indeed factor in these new fees.

Real Estate News Bits 🐚 

• Residents in bayside area on 17th Street voice concerns to mayor over unsightly pumping station ✊

• Seaspray Condos on 34th Street will be shut down after being declared unsafe by state agency— pour one out for my Senior Week memories of lying about our age and drinking tequila to 4 in the morning there 🏢

⚽️ Don’t Forget: Registration For Summer Rec Programs

Registration begins for summer rec and sports programs on May 1 at 9:00 a.m.

Many programs fill up almost immediately, so be sure to mark your calendars.

You can register right here.

🎟 Tickets and Discounts

• Get $30 seasonal beach tags before the city updates to $35 on June 1. There is a $5 shipping fee on each order, but you can order up to 10 tags at once. Get them here.

• Tickets for Disney Princesses The Concert are on sale. The show is July 9 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Get them here.

Want to advertise here? Just reply to this email and we’ll respond to your request.

💧 Spot Rip Currents

🌊 Weather and Tides

As always, especially for the weather this weekend, we recommend getting up-to-date forecasts from THE GOAT of South Jersey weather, NorEaster Nick, directly on his Facebook page.

Tides (9th Street):

• Friday (4/28)

  • High: 2:45 AM

  • Low: 9:41 AM

  • High: 3:39 PM

  • Low: 9:30 PM

• Saturday (4/29)

  • High: 3:47 AM

  • Low: 10:33 AM

  • High: 4:35 PM

  • Low: 10:30 PM

• Sunday (4/30)

  • High: 4:42 AM

  • Low: 11:17 AM

  • High: 5:24 PM

  • Low: 11:25 PM

• Monday (5/1)

  • High: 5:31 AM

  • Low: 11:57 AM

  • High: 6:06 PM

• Tuesday (5/2)

  • High: 6:15 AM

  • Low: 12:13 AM

  • High: 6:46 PM

  • Low: 12:33 PM

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Thanks! Enjoy the weekend.🎡