WEST CAPE MAY — Two restaurant development plans were granted the green light Sept. 1 during a meeting of the West Cape May Planning/Zoning Board.
The owner of Exit Zero received unanimous site plan and variance approval to redevelop the business at 110 Sunset Blvd. into a single, cohesive full-service restaurant.
Representing applicant Florian Furxhiu, attorney Anthony Monzo outlined the property’s complex history. Over the past decade, the site operated as a multi-use mix that included a filling station, convenience store, retail space, second-floor office and a restaurant with a liquor license.
“Ultimately, the property was sold to the applicant,” Monzo explained. “The liquor license was removed from this property and no longer is a restaurant with a liquor license, and there’s no longer any retail or office use. It’s all restaurant.”
Under the newly approved application, former outdoor gas station structures and temporary trailers, picnic tables and benches will be cleared to simplify the property.
Project engineer and planner Vincent Orlando presented the site details. The plan features an 825-square-foot indoor dining room addition with restrooms and an expanded kitchen. Outside, an elevated 1,245-square-foot dining deck will replace grade-level seating beneath the gas station canopy.
Addressing questions about enclosing the space, Furxhiu explained that seasonal insects and sudden summer weather changes create challenges for outdoor diners, although he is continuing to evaluate options for comfort.
“We’re trying to make it even more beautiful, and also make it less weather-dependent in the outdoor area,” Furxhiu said.
Orlando testified that the redevelopment improves site safety and traffic circulation. Driveway access along Sunset Boulevard will be narrowed from a 40-foot former gas station entrance to 25 feet with new curbing.
Much of the board’s deliberation focused on the primary variance request: relief from parking requirements. Borough engineer Anthony Chadwell’s memo noted that, under municipal standards based on total floor area, the expanded site requires 26 parking spaces. The applicant’s proposed reconfigured layout yields 17 full-sized standard spaces — including a handicapped-accessible space in front — plus two low-speed vehicle (LSV) spaces, bringing the total to 19 spaces.
While this represents an increase over the 14 spaces previously on site, it creates a seven-space deficiency under local zoning laws because LSV spots do not count toward standard vehicle minimums. Board members noted that increased the actual variance deficit from five to seven spaces.
To compensate for the deficit, the applicant agreed to make a $10,000 contribution to the borough’s dedicated parking fund ($5,000 per space for the additional two-space deficit) as a condition of approval.
Orlando also testified that the project decreases overall impervious lot coverage slightly and increases vegetated cover.
Additional conditions set during the hearing include adding about 20 feet of new sidewalk along Fow Avenue, correcting the indoor dining capacity figure to 70 seats and re-confirming county approvals for an existing right of way encroachment along Sunset Boulevard.
No members of the public spoke. Board members commended the architectural cleanup before voting unanimously to approve the preliminary and final site plan alongside the necessary variance relief.
Cape Lumberyard
The former Cape May Lumber Co. at 100 Park Blvd. will soon house a Japanese restaurant and new Cape Resorts corporate offices under a plan also unanimously approved the same night.
Cape Lumberyard LLC, owned by Curtis Bashaw of Cape Resorts, received approval to create a 50-seat casual Japanese izakaya-style restaurant with 30 outdoor seats, a 60-foot walk-in freezer and consolidated corporate offices.
The restaurant will carry the liquor license previously held by Exit Zero and be led by Ebbitt Room chef Jason Hannon, who spent the last four winters perfecting his craft in Japan.
Cape Resorts owns and operates several well-known properties in southern Cape May County, including Congress Hall, the Virginia Hotel, the Beach Shack (home of The Rusty Nail), The Star Inn and Suites, and the Sandpiper Beach Club in Cape May, as well as Beach Plum Farm & Cottages in West Cape May.
Bashaw told the board he envisions residential development for the 5.8-acre property sometime in the future.
“Local housing is very, very hard to find,” he said, noting that Cape Resorts employs roughly 1,300 people in the area, including more than 600 year-round workers.
Future development could involve creating dedicated workforce housing targeted at essential local personnel, including “teachers, fire, police, EMTs, nurses” and the company’s middle managers.
He emphasized that the residential concept was not part of the plan under consideration.
Much of the discussion centered on parking. After revisions that counted the large rear yard and adjusted the Golden Stop coffee shop’s use calculation, the applicant needed only 34 spaces and provided 39, eliminating the need for a parking variance.
The board granted a C-2 variance allowing the drive aisle to remain gravel while requiring a hard-surface (paver or equivalent) pedestrian connection from the rear parking to the restaurant entrance.
One-way circulation, signage, curbs and bumper stops will guide traffic. Golf carts must be stored in the rear except when being rented. A 4-foot decorative fence will enclose outdoor seating, and a chain-link fence will secure the rear storage area and parking.
Lighting and “dark-sky” issues drew specific attention. Neighbor Teresa Tool, who lives immediately behind the site, said an existing spotlight shines into her bedroom and asked what night operations would bring.
Bashaw agreed the light would be taken down. The board and the applicant’s agreed that Tool would have the opportunity to review the applicant’s lighting plan before it is finalized.
Public testimony reflected a mix of support and concern over noise, late-night activity, golf cart storage, flooding and the long-delayed county roundabout.
Bashaw addressed each issue, emphasizing limited outdoor hours governed by strict West Cape May liquor rules, relocating the carts and clarifying that long-term housing plans were not part of this application.
Supporters praised Bashaw’s investment and vision for the property.
Mayor George Dick, referring to the Cape Lumberyard and Exit Zero applications, said: “These are the kind of projects we want in our town… both will be upgrades and improvements. We thank you for doing that.”
By JAMES FITZPATRICK/For the Star and Wave
