Seaside Park's Funtown Pier Will Not Be Rebuilt: Reports

SEASIDE PARK, NJ — It appears that the fire that burned Funtown Pier to the sand in 2013 may have been the end of the amusement pier for good, as the owner of the pier said he will not rebuild, according to a reports.

The Asbury Park Press reported that William Major, who owns Funtown Pier and the property where the pier stood, decided Tuesday that he will not rebuild after the Seaside Park Planning Board rejected his request to allow 200- to 300-foot amusement rides.

The planning board approved a master plan change that raised maximum ride heights at one end of the boardwalk to 100 feet.

NJ.com reported that Major's attorney, Stephan Leone, is hoping the Seaside Park Borough Council will reject the planning board's recommendation.

"Right now, as it stands, that recommendation will preclude the pier from being reconstructed," Leone told NJ.com. "We're holding out hope that the governing body will revisit those recommendations."

Major said the higher rides are needed to generate enough revenue to justify the predicted $20 million to $30 million cost to rebuild, the Press report said. The taller rides attract young adults who are more likely to spend more money on the boardwalk, NJ.com said.

Funtown Pier suffered severe damage during Superstorm Sandy, losing several of its more than 30 rides to the October 2012 storm. The remainder — along with the pier — were destroyed in the September 2013 blaze that claimed eight blocks of boardwalk and dozens of businesses.

Read more on Major's decision here.

Charred pilings and metal from amusement rides were all that remained of Funtown Pier in September 2013, after a fire swept through eight blocks of the boardwalk in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights. Credit: Jo Hendley Photography. Click here to see more of her Superstorm Sandy images.