SEASIDE HEIGHTS - A zoning change that will ban new bars, nightclubs and amusement rides from the northern end of the boardwalk was adopted unanimously Wednesday night by the Borough Council, disappointing several boardwalk property owners who had asked that the council consider tabling the measure.

"In the stroke of a pen, my properties are going to be devalued," said Shake Shoppe Arcade owner Patty Hershey, who had planned to improve the restaurant at her arcade or bring in an outside restaurateur to operate an eatery. "It's not just unfair, it's not right. Everybody should be applying the same rules to the entire boardwalk."

The rezoning ordinance bans new bars and nightclubs from the easternmost lots along the boardwalk, between Sheridan and Hiering avenues. It also prohibits amusement rides and puts restrictions on restaurants, barring live music and forcing restaurants to close by midnight.

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Councilmen Michael Carbone and Richard Tompkins, who have business conflicts, left the dais during the public hearing on the rezoning and abstained on the final vote.

Mayor Anthony Vaz said the zone change ordinance is intended to preserve the quality of life for residents in the quieter northern end of town.

"We said when we took office in the Vaz administration, it is all about quality of life," the mayor said following the vote.

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Sampson Avenue resident Peter Carlino praised the council for adopting the zoning change and said he thinks borough businesses should not be "centered on alcohol."

Carlino reminded the council of frequent issues with the Wine Cellar, which was previously located on the boardwalk at Sampson Avenue. He recalled people "hanging off the place and relieving themselves all over."

The borough should not allow that type of business to return, he said.

"We are not the place of MTV and all that nonsense," Carlino said, referring to "Jersey Shore," the popular MTV reality show and its spinoffs. "That gave us a lot of notoriety as the scum of the Shore towns."

But owners of boardwalk businesses and properties said new restrictions in the rezoned area will hamper their ability to bring new attractions to the north end of the boardwalk, and will make it more difficult for existing businesses to thrive.

Some said the same rules should apply to businesses on the entire length of the boardwalk.

Marc Pollaro showed the council images of a two-story restaurant that he and his brother, Michael, have proposed to construct at 1219 Boardwalk. The restrictions in the new law could make running a profitable restaurant impossible, he said.

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For example, the new law limits restaurants to 5,000 square feet and limits bar areas in restaurants with liquor licenses to a maximum of 15 seats, or "15 percent of the dining capacity of the restaurant," whichever is less.

That means there might not be enough room for patrons waiting for a table at a dining establishment to have a drink at the bar, Pollaro said.

Pollaro's restaurant plans showed dining on a rooftop deck. But he said the ban on live music included in the rezoning law would make it impossible for him to have a "Sweet 16" party or a bar mitzvah featuring a disc jockey.

"It's giving you more clothing stores and fast food places," Pollaro said. "You have business owners at the north end that want to do great things. Help us."

Existing zoning in the quieter northern end of Seaside had only allowed businesses like bars, nightclubs, pubs and breweries if "those uses are incidental to the restaurant operation," Vaz wrote in a letter to the community that was posted on his official Facebook page.

The word "incidental" was open to interpretation, Vaz has said. It could be difficult to prevent a property owner operating a restaurant to use the space to operate a bar or nightclub later in the evening.

Michael Redpath, executive director of Seaside Heights Business Improvement District, said the borough needs "a greater diversity of fun activities for our guests" to continue its evolution into a more family-friendly destination.

Redpath asked the council to considering tabling the ordinance to allow for more input from the business community, and suggested that recommendations for changes to the law could be submitted within 60 days.

Redpath said he is concerned that the new law puts so many restrictions on boardwalk businesses in the north end that it could discourage entrepreneurs from investing there.

Jimbo's owner Jeff Jackson said his 1950s-themed boardwalk restaurant has 100 barstools, "and I don't think anyone sees us as a nuisance or a problem."

"If a 25-year-old is in there fist-pumping, he's either lost or there with his grandparents," said Jackson, who also owns Marathon Steak, which is in the rezoned area. He said he was concerned that he would not be able to operate a business like Jimbo's on the north end of the boardwalk if the rezoning was approved.

Before the council's vote, Borough Attorney Jean Cipriani pointed out that a similar rezoning ordinance was first proposed in July but was withdrawn to seek further comment from members of the public and business community.

A business owner with a plan that would not be permitted in the rezoned north end of the boardwalk can seek a variance from the borough's Planning Board (the borough Planning Board also serves as a zoning board in Seaside Heights), Cipriani said.

The rezoning ordinance is the latest attempt by Seaside Heights to move away from its what Vaz has termed "the bar atmosphere," which was exemplified by the alcohol-fueled antics of the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore."

Two borough nightclubs where cast members like Jenny "JWoww" Farley, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi partied — the Bamboo Bar and Karma — are scheduled to be sold at auction March 26 in a bankruptcy liquidation.

Vaz has said he'd like to see the two nightclubs replaced with retail stores, restaurants, a hotel or condominiums.

Vaz has cited Asbury Park and Point Pleasant Beach as boardwalk towns that Seaside Heights hopes to emulate.

Watch the video at the top of the story to see the steps Seaside Heights has taken to try to become more family-friendly.

In 2018, Seaside banned "teen nights" at clubs, barring patrons under 21 from nightclubs.

Also that year, the borough adopted a new law requiring someone to be at least 18 years old to rent a hotel or motel room, apartment or condominium in town; that law was aimed to get better control of rentals during the hectic prom season.

The borough also passed a so-called "Animal House" law, which allows Seaside to crack down on troublesome rental properties by suspending the mercantile license of homes and apartments for repeated instances of rowdy behavior.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 35 years. A finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in public service, she's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, 732-643-4050, jmikle@gannettnj.com.