Things to bring this summer to North Wildwood

Joseph P. Smith, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
Updated ·3 min read

NORTH WILDWOOD — The city is finding it trickier than expected to settle on exactly what accessories vacationers can have on the beach this summer.

Originally, temporary new rules were to take effect May 15 on sizes and uses for umbrellas, tents, and similar oceanside comforts. All those items will have to be a bit smaller this summer than what many beachgoers might have used in the past.

An ordinance introduced by City Council on April 2 spelled out the details.

But the council revised the ordinance at its April 16 meeting.

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Additionally, the council intends further change when it meets next on May 7. Meanwhile, the start of summer vacation is getting closer.

“And every time we tweak it, it pushes off the final adoption by two weeks,” Mayor Patrick Rosenello said on Thursday.

A beach chair and sun shade are shown on the beach in Wildwood in this 2016 Gannett file image.
A beach chair and sun shade are shown on the beach in Wildwood in this 2016 Gannett file image.

The push for temporary regulations stems from the loss of beachline due to storm erosion. Smaller umbrellas and other items will make it a bit easier to move about for everyone, the city figures.

Rosenello said the newly amended ordinance will be revised again on May 7 to allow the council to use just a resolution to quickly loosen or tighten the new rules.

“If you make this rule by ordinance, the only way you can change it is by ordinance,” Rosenello said. “Which means that it can take up to 45 days to change it. Let’s say, for instance, we have a miraculous summer of beach growth and we don’t really need this restriction. Well then, in one council meeting, City Council could lift the restriction.”

Whatever version of the ordinance gets approved on May 7 still needs to have a public hearing and a final council vote. Those last steps would have to wait until the May 21 council meeting.

Size matters under proposed beach rules

The proposed regulations, as they stand now, would take effect immediately after their adoption.

They would permit:

  • Umbrellas with a circular shade no greater than 8 feet in diameter and a single pole not longer than 7 feet-6 inches in height.

  • Baby tents, not greater than 36 inches in height, width and length, used to shade small children and infants. In addition, umbrellas and baby tents can't obscure a lifeguard's view of the ocean or their egress from a lifeguard stand.

In addition, umbrellas or baby tents cannot obscure a lifeguard's view of the ocean or access to the surf from the lifeguard stand.

Anchoring devices, like lines and stakes, can't extend beyond the perimeter of an umbrella or baby tent.

And personal items must be removed from the beach by 9 p.m. If items are left unattended between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. the following day, they'll be taken and discarded.

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: Summer looms as North Wildwood fine-tunes 2024 beach rules