Asbury Park boardwalk pavilions 'multimillion-dollar' upgrade brings new restaurants

ASBURY PARK - It'll be a new stroll starting late this spring on the boardwalk near the Fourth and Fifth Avenue Pavilions, complete with two new restaurants, expanded retail space and commercial offices.

Pasqualina DeBoer, a spokeswoman for Madison Marquette, the city's boardwalk developer, said ground-floor retailers for the Fifth Avenue Pavilion are expected to open in late spring, as you can see in the video above.

"Our season has evolved well past summer within the last several years. The curation of these two reimagined pavilions addresses the needs (and wants) of regional and local visitors as well as homeowners," DeBoer said.

"Two new restaurants will provide expanded dining and entertainment options, and our retail offerings are a platform for bolstering Asbury Park’s retail experience by growing local businesses."

Major construction of the new restaurant and retail space in the Fifth Avenue Pavilion is expected to continue through summer. The new restaurant in the Fifth Avenue Pavilion will be a seafood restaurant, DeBoer said.

The Fourth Avenue Pavilion, which will contain almost 30,000 square feet of rentable space, will get new commercial office space on its second floor.

It will be the first of its kind on the boardwalk. It will also get a rooftop deck with ocean views. DeBoer said construction has not yet begun on the Fourth Avenue Pavilion as it awaits city and state approvals.

The Fourth Avenue Pavilion will be home to Maruca's Pizza, a longtime Seaside Heights staple, that will be opening a second location on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

More: Maruca's: Seaside Heights pizza legend coming to Asbury Park boardwalk

The new spot will have 70 seats inside and 40 seasonal seats in 4,000 square feet of space with entrances on Ocean Avenue and the boardwalk.

The contractor being used for the renovations is Structural Concepts Inc., an Ocean Township-based firm. DeBoer did not give a price for the renovation work.

Peter Reinhart, director of the Kislak Real Estate Institute at Monmouth University, said the development would "certainly be a multimillion dollar investment."

Reinhart said the demand for additional retailers would be high in Asbury Park with new real estate developments like the nearby 1101 Ocean Avenue high-rise project, which is being developed by iStar. You can view a video below on what is expected to be the most luxurious building in the city.

Madison Marquette owns or runs more than 20 million square feet of high-end retail and mixed-use projects in the U.S. It has managed the redevelopment of the boardwalk for the past decade.

More: Asbury Park's luxury high rise on Esperanza ashes more than halfway up

Austin Bogues: abogues@gannettnj.com; 732-643-4009