CAPE MAY — Concerned residents questioned City Council last week about the possible two-story addition to the Allen AME Church proposed by East Lynn Theater Company (ELTC).
Resident Stacey Sheehan asked where the city was with the proposed addition. City Manager Paul Dietrich said he has been having meetings and conversations with the council.
“As they formulate what they want to present, I know they’ve made a presentation at the Historic Preservation Commission; now they’re going to work with City Council,” Dietrich said, adding that when the council feels they have a proposal that might be acceptable, there would potentially be a presentation scheduled for a future meeting.
On June 15, the Historic Preservation Commission granted conceptual approval for the addition presented by Janice Woodcock of Woodcock Design, the architect for ELTC. The theater is leasing the historic facility from the city and operating it as the Clemans Theater for the Arts.
The approval involved rigorous discussion on the addition (referred to as a hyphen, a connecting structure that bridges two larger building elements), including potential adjustments to the staircase and deck design, accessibility, public and accessible parking, wood railings, terracing and building materials. After further discussion, the amended conceptual approval required wooden railings and the HPC requested a landscaping and lighting plan.
East Lynne opened the theater in the renovated former Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in May 2025. The church is one of the few remaining historic sites after much of the area’s African American history was lost during an earlier period of urban renewal.
The city purchased the building in 2021 with the blessing of the former congregation. As part of the agreement with the city, ELTC is to act as caretaker to maintain and preserve the physical structure and uphold the legacy of the Black church and the community that supported it.
“How is it beneficial to me, as a taxpayer, that we’re going to give up parking spots and let someone build a building and have them compete with our Convention Hall for events?” Sheehan asked. “As a taxpayer, I don’t know why the council is reaching out, allowing these non-profits to take over the city land to build things that’s on our land.”
Deputy Mayor Maureen McDade said there have been several plans but no decisions have been made.
“The ideas of whatever the non-profit may be may not align with what council wants, so we haven’t even gotten to that point yet,” McDade said, adding that Dietrich has met with each council member individually to share plans.
She added that the HPC granted a conditional approval, which does not mean City Council agrees with it.
Sheehan asked if ELTC jumped the gun by going to HPC before council.
“I don’t want to say something like that publicly; I don’t think it’s fair to the value of what they’re trying to do in their mind, and what they believe for the future of their organization,” McDade said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that it aligns with what this council wants to approve or that the public might accept.”
McDade added that there is understanding that the plans need to be discussed with council and by the time a presentation is made to council, it may have completely changed.
“As a precedent that was set years ago when Cape May Stage added an addition to the back of their building, which allowed them to have changing rooms and all that,” Mayor Zack Mullock said. “I think 99 percent of the people that you would speak to would say that Cape May Stage has been an excellent addition to the community, as well as kept the city-owned, taxpayer-owned building.”
Mullock added that ELTC has been maintaining the building as well as a adding a beautiful arts and culture element to the community.
“As a reminder, we purchased that building and a large majority of the money that was used to rehabilitate it was grant funding, and now they maintain that building,” Mullock said. “We share in your concerns and they will have to be publicly fleshed out.
Councilman Shaine Meier said after discussing the plans with Dietrich, it is a productive start but they are not anywhere yet.
“After our discussions, each one of us has different things that really stick out to us, which is important,” Meier said. “I really value everything that the East Lynn members have said too.”
Resident Jules Rauch said there was a presentation about the proposed addition scheduled with the Cape May City Taxpayers Association and he asked when there would be a presentation before City Council.
Dietrich said a date has not yet been determined.
Solicitor Chris Gillin-Schwartz said the project would not proceed without further public meetings.
“There’s going to be another public discussion and probably multiple about the fate of that design and how it fits in with the lease that will have to be amended,” Gillin-Schwartz said. “The HPC fully understood that when they were hearing a conceptual approval, which is not the basis for a construction permit.”
Mullock added that he would compare the project to the Jacob Jones Memorial and it would be a similar process, with the public having a chance to provide input.
“People came out with a lot of concern about that and I agreed with that concern,” Mullock said. “I agreed with that concern, but their heart was in the right place and we had a lot of public meetings about that. The public did a great job of making it into a better project.”
Rauch said from what he has heard and seen, he believes the addition is a deviation from the architectural history of the community.
“I think there needs to be a [philosophical discussion] on how we want to proceed with what Cape May is going to look like in the future if we entertain a project that is relatively modern in glass, as what has been shown so far,” Rauch said. “I think it’s really more than just a particular building on a particular lot.”
Mullock said the addition would also have to go before the state historic preservation panel.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
