It's real. The beach shrunk, and you have to adjust
NORTH WILDWOOD — Beach lovers will be welcome at North Wildwood this summer, but visitors will need to scale back on the sizes of their umbrellas, tents, and similar accessories.
The city that is "A Place in the Sun for Family Fun" is hurting badly this year for square footage at its beach. What sand the city has been trucking in on its own dime for more than a decade, Mayor Patrick Rosenello said Friday, the Atlantic Ocean just keeps taking.
"We’ve had a pretty long-running situation with not having a beach replenishment project like every other beach town in the state has through the state,” Rosenello said. “Unfortunately, our beach has continued to get smaller. And it, basically, reached a point this winter where we felt it was necessary to temporarily, we hope, impose these restrictions ... to allow the most amount of people possible to enjoy the beach this summer.
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"What you see a lot of are these 10 by 10 tents," the mayor said. "And then, some of them have support lines that go out another couple feet, right? So, you could easily be 12 by 12. And the restrictions allow an 8-foot round umbrella ... with a single, center pole."
Can I have a tent on Wildwood beach?
The City Council still has to give final approval to the restrictions, which are in an ordinance introduced on April 2. There is a public hearing on May 7, which should be followed by a final council vote.
The rules would take effect May 15, if adopted. Only special events, with city approval, are not covered.
The ordinance explains that "in numerous areas there is virtually no beach at high tide, leaving little to no room for visitors." The objects that need to be smaller, if used, are tents, tarps, cabanas, pavilions, canopies, "sportbrellas and similar devices or fixtures," the ordinance states.
The temporary rules require the following.
Umbrellas with a circular shade no greater than 8 feet in diameter and a pole not longer than 7 feet, 6 inches in height.
"Baby tents" not greater than 36 inches in height, width and length.
An umbrella or baby tent cannot obscure a lifeguard's view or impede a lifeguard's egress from a lifeguard stand, a judgement the lifeguard will make.
Baby tents and umbrellas must be securely anchored. But anchoring lines, tethers, stakes, weights, "or the like" cannot extend beyond the perimeter of the tent or umbrella.
Umbrellas, baby tents, and other personal items must be off the beach by 9 p.m. Items left unattended between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. the following day will be removed and discarded.
N.J. has left North Wildwood high and dry with beach aid
North Wildwood is leaving some wriggle room. The restrictions could change if significantly more beach becomes available. In fact, the City Council in February appropriated $1.75 million for public projects including beach replenishment.
"I’ve pointed out to folks the entire Jersey Shore would have this issue if they weren’t getting regular re-nourishment projects, right?" Rosenello said. "We’re kind of, unfortunately, a case study in what happens when you don’t do periodic re-nourishment. We have been in touch with the Governor’s Office. His office has been lately very responsive and, I think, recognizes that this has become a very serious situation."
The mayor said the city has gone 11 years without New Jersey and the federal government offering to provide a dredging barge, which is the best way to build beaches back better. North Wildwood annually has spent about $3 million trying to plug that gap by trucking in huge amounts of sand from neighboring Wildwood.
"The last time we did it was in spring of 2022," Rosenellos aid. "We brought in 350,000 cubic yards of sand, which to give you some perspective is over a billion pounds of sand. But that avenue has been completely cut off by the ocean. The route that we used to take is under water even at low tide now."
North Wildwood also recently filed for a state Freshwater Wetlands Permit to built an access ramp to the Boardwalk that would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ramp would be built between 21st Avenue and 22nd Avenue.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: North Wildwood to ban tens, large umbrellas this year amid beach loss