ORTLEY BEACH, NJ – More than a decade after Superstorm Sandy wiped out the legendary Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, Toms River Township is preparing to transform the once-blighted oceanfront property into a new public boardwalk and beachfront pavilion.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick announced that construction is expected to begin this spring, marking a long-awaited revival for a stretch of shoreline left vacant since 2012.
The two-block project will extend Toms River’s boardwalk northward, connecting it to the former Surf Club site along Oceanfront Drive. The plan includes a 300-foot-long boardwalk, a new public pavilion, and a parking area designed to improve access to Ortley Beach while preserving open space. The township purchased the property in 2021 for $7.3 million, using a mix of local and state Blue Acres funds after years of negotiations with the site’s previous owners.
Mayor Rodrick, who took office in 2024, made the project a top priority to eliminate the derelict remains of the storm-damaged nightclub and reconnect the township’s fragmented beachfront.
“When we put things out to bid, and we’re going to do construction in the State of New Jersey, we should work to make sure that New Jersey tradesmen are employed,” Rodrick said. “It’s great that we’re putting local people to work.”
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Local contractors tapped for long-awaited rebuild
Ashland Contractors LLC was awarded the contract for the project after submitting a bid roughly $1.5 million below initial cost estimates. The firm plans to use local subcontractors for the job, according to township officials. The new boardwalk will run parallel to Oceanfront Drive and wrap around the existing Golden Gull condominium complex, integrating new public walkways with beach access points.
Mayor Rodrick said it was important to him and his team to award jobs to local contractors who would be using local labor.
The original Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, once one of the Jersey Shore’s most iconic nightlife destinations, was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and later demolished in 2021 after failed rebuilding efforts by owner Joey Barcellona. The property’s long period of vacancy became a local symbol of Sandy’s lasting impact and the challenges of coastal redevelopment.
Key facts about the Surf Club redevelopment:
- Toms River purchased the site in 2021 for $7.3 million, funded partly by state Blue Acres grants.
- Construction of a 300-foot boardwalk, pavilion, and parking lot begins spring 2026.
- Ashland Contractors LLC awarded the project; their bid came in $1.5 million below estimates.
Once complete, the new boardwalk will connect the township’s beach access points, replacing the shuttered nightclub with a scenic public gathering space. Officials say the redevelopment not only restores a piece of Ortley Beach’s coastline but also honors the community’s resilience and renewal more than a decade after Sandy’s devastation.
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