Construction has begun on a long-awaited oceanfront project at the former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club site, bringing new boardwalk space, a pavilion and public parking
ORTLEY BEACH, NJ — More than a decade after Superstorm Sandy destroyed Joey Harrison’s Surf Club and further enhanced the boardwalk break along the Ortley Beach oceanfront, Toms River Township has started construction on a long-awaited boardwalk expansion at the former nightclub property.
The first timber pilings went into the ground this week, giving the project its first visible sign of major construction after years of property negotiations, environmental reviews, engineering work and permit approvals.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick said the work represents an important step toward moving Ortley Beach beyond the post-Sandy era and creating a more unified oceanfront for residents and visitors.
Construction begins at former Surf Club property
The project will extend the boardwalk across the publicly owned beachfront site between Sixth and Seventh avenues, where Joey Harrison’s Surf Club stood before Sandy devastated the property in October 2012.
Plans call for an elevated wooden boardwalk approximately 300 feet long and 50 feet wide. A public pavilion will rise near the center of the new section, with reconstructed public parking planned across Oceanfront Drive on the nightclub’s former parking lot.
The structure will rest on timber pilings driven roughly 20 feet into the sand. Engineering specifications call for each piling to withstand about 10 tons of weight and five tons of uplift, reflecting the site’s exposure to coastal storms.
A gap left behind by Superstorm Sandy
Joey Harrison’s Surf Club operated for decades as one of the Jersey Shore’s best-known beachfront nightlife destinations. Sandy destroyed the nightclub in 2012, leaving its damaged structure and vacant oceanfront property as one of Ortley Beach’s most visible reminders of the storm. While the nightclub was most known for its live music, dance parties and beachfront vibes, it had a darker side. Mafia connections, and allegedly the source of Ocean County’s nightclub cocaine distribution network that saw now prominent figures in the community either sheltering the trade or being dealers themselves at local night clubs.
Oh how times have changed since the 1980s and 1990s.
Toms River demolished the remaining Surf Club structures in 2021 after years of failed attempts to rebuild the privately owned business.
The township ultimately acquired the site through a complicated arrangement involving municipal funding, Ocean County and New Jersey’s Blue Acres program, which purchases storm-damaged and flood-prone properties for public open space.
The acquisition allowed the former nightclub property to be preserved for public use instead of private oceanfront development.
Long-discussed plan reaches construction stage
Plans for restoring and improving Ortley Beach’s public spaces have circulated for years. Township planning efforts intensified after Sandy, including federally supported streetscape and gateway improvements intended to help the barrier-island neighborhood recover.
Progress on the beachfront component required state coastal approvals because the former Surf Club parcel was acquired with Blue Acres funding. Development is generally restricted on properties purchased through the program, although public beach access and compatible recreational improvements can qualify for approval.
Shore News Network reported in 2025 that Toms River had secured key permits and was preparing to move forward with the long-delayed Ortley Beach boardwalk project.
The physical start of piling installation now moves the project beyond plans, hearings and contract documents.
Nearly $3.9 million contract awarded
The Township Council awarded the construction contract to Black Rock Enterprises of Old Bridge for approximately $3.87 million.
Black Rock replaced an earlier selected contractor after a dispute arose over project specifications and subcontracting requirements. Township officials said the new contractor agreed to comply with the project’s labor terms.
The work is being completed under a project labor agreement requiring organized labor and placing an emphasis on workers from Ocean, Monmouth and Burlington counties.
Rodrick has argued that major township construction contracts should create jobs for qualified workers from Toms River and neighboring communities.
New pavilion and public parking planned
Beyond filling part of the longstanding boardwalk gap, the project will create a 3,040-square-foot pavilion overlooking the ocean. The full boardwalk expansion will cover approximately 13,220 square feet.
The elevated structure will stand about 15 feet above the existing street-level grade and approximately five feet above the dune crest elevation established during federal beach-replenishment work.
The project also requires additional sand and native vegetation to reinforce portions of the dune system. Plans include about 75 cubic yards of beach sand and more than 4,000 square yards of native coastal plantings.
Across the street, the former Surf Club parking area between Sixth and Seventh avenues will be reconstructed for public beach access.
The parking component is expected to ease pressure in a neighborhood where residents and summer visitors routinely compete for limited spaces near the ocean.
Ortley Beach looks toward a new chapter
Ortley Beach suffered some of the most severe damage along the Jersey Shore when Sandy came ashore. Homes were destroyed, streets flooded and sections of the oceanfront were radically altered.
While much of the community rebuilt, the empty Surf Club property remained a lasting symbol of unfinished recovery.
Rodrick, who became mayor in 2024, made advancing the project a priority of his administration. The plans and property acquisition predated his term, but the contract award and start of major construction occurred under his leadership.
The new public space will replace a storm-damaged nightclub with an expanded boardwalk, oceanfront pavilion, restored dunes and additional beach parking.
For Toms River, the first pilings mark more than the start of another construction job. They signal that one of Ortley Beach’s most visible post-Sandy scars is finally beginning to disappear.