Soleil, Wonderland, and the Danger of Building the Wrong Dream in Ocean City - March 23, 2025

The recent listing of the Soleil Resort for sale isn’t just another real estate headline—it’s a flashing warning sign for Ocean City. It’s a reminder of what happens when big development dreams collide with local values, financial reality, and community resistance.

As Ocean City weighs the future of 600 Boardwalk—the site of Eustace Mita’s proposed high-rise hotel—it’s worth asking: what did we learn from Soleil?

The Soleil Project: Two Decades, Zero Results

Let’s rewind. The Soleil was first pitched in 2001 as a year-round, five-star resort designed to boost the local economy. Sound familiar? It should—this pitch echoes much of the language around the Wonderland hotel proposal today.

But here’s what actually happened:

• The original 11-story hotel faced strong local opposition and was rejected.

• A smaller 5-story version was approved—but couldn’t get financing.

• It was resized again, this time into a condo-hotel. That version was rejected 7-1 by the City Planning Board for not aligning with the area's redevelopment goals.

• Then, a court overturned that decision—not because the project had merit, but because the city’s redevelopment plan had inadvertently cleared the way with the wrong kind of facility.

• The result? Years of tension, wasted resources, and a lot that still sits empty—just a parking lot.

Despite having approvals, permits, and a prime location, the Soleil project still couldn't secure financing. The reason? The economics of large hotel projects in seasonal markets like Ocean City make financing difficult if not impossible.

History Repeating Itself?

Fast forward to today. Mita’s plan for 600 Boardwalk includes a larger, taller, and more expensive structure than Soleil. It also is adjacent to an historic neighborhood which would be dwarfed by the structure.  It also would be replacing an entertainment venue – Wonderland Pier – which brought  daytrippers to town and drew vacationers up and down the boardwalk.  As a result, this proposed high rise resort is already facing substantial pushback, even though no formal proposal has been made.

Why the heightened resistance?  Because this isn’t just a swap of similar structures, or replacing a parking lot. It’s a fundamental shift in the identity and purpose of that space—from fun and accessibility to exclusivity and scale.  Indeed, it could be the pivot point for changing the identity of the town.

City leaders need to ask: is this who we are? And who we want to be?

Culture Matters

There’s a lesson here from the business world: most failed mergers don’t fail because the numbers don’t work—they fail because of culture clashes.

The same principle applies to urban development. A project can look great on paper, but if it doesn’t align with the community’s culture, expectations, or sense of place, it will meet resistance—and likely collapse under its own weight.

The Soleil project tried to push against Ocean City's culture. It lost. Mita’s proposal appears headed down the same path.

City Council’s Role: Leadership, Not Sitting Idly By

This isn’t just about one project—it’s about setting the tone for Ocean City’s future.

City Council must do more than listen and vote at the end. It must lead, because the City administration is not doing so. That means:

• Gathering facts

• Analyzing the impact

• Bringing residents, businesses, and developers to the table

• Building consensus—not conflict

And yet, recent staged public votes have framed the conversation as a false choice: a high-rise resort or nothing at all. That’s not leadership. That’s deflection.

There are other options where everyone – the city, its residents and Mita – can win. This is a large lot that can accommodate many uses.  But we’ll never get there unless City Council takes the lead, broadens the conversation and stops letting developers set the agenda.

A Twist Ending?

There’s an irony in all of this.

What if Mita just buys Soleil? It’s already permitted. No zoning fights. No demolition. No environmental unknowns. It's on the market for $25 million, already zoned for exactly the type of project he claims to want.

And maybe then Mita sells 600 Boardwalk—a property he bought for around $10 million a few years ago—for a more reasonable price. The Soliel sets a market comp for a fully permitted site. Mita’s property is not permitted and he does not have the zoning which, for Mita’s property, this should amount to a healthy discount off the Soliel’s asking price. Then maybe an entertainment operator steps in and creates a one-of-a-kind entertainment venue. Rumors suggest that kind of offer is already on the table.

Or maybe Mita can’t finance either project. And then, finally, we accept what Soleil and other stalled high rise projects have already shown us:

Ocean City isn’t meant for high-rises and massive resorts. It’s meant for family fun, accessibility, and a charm that doesn’t come with penthouse suites and VIP lounges.

We’re not Atlantic City. We’re not Miami.

We’re Ocean City, New Jersey.

And that’s more than enough.