Report Says Condo Building in Ocean City, NJ, Should Be Torn Down

The structural problems at Ocean City's Seaspray condo complex are so numerous, engineers are recommending a complete tear-down of the building on Bay Avenue.

The safety issues at the Seapray, which became publicly known at an Ocean City Council meeting in late April, have been ongoing for decades, according to information uncovered in a lawsuit by one of the condo units, OCNJDaily reports.

Dennis Block,  who is a New Jersey attorney, filed suit in 2022 against Seaspray's condo association and management saying they were aware of these problems for some time and did nothing to correct them.

Block says that six engineering studies of Seaspray have been completed since 2000 showing that the condos were structurally unsound and the cost to repair the damage would be in excess of $9 million.

OCNJDaily reports a recent structural survey conducted by Endicott Engineering paints a grim picture of the Seaspray's condition.

“There are numerous cracks on the surfaces of the existing precast hollow core concrete slabs. These cracks have never been sealed, resulting in the infiltration of water through the surface concrete and the corrosion of the steel rebar. The corroding rebar has expanded in size, resulting in additional cracking of the beams, which has further reduced the load bearing capacity of these elements.”

Engineer Charles Endicott concluded that the Seaspray condos are unsafe and should be demolished.

The 32-unit Seaspray was constructed as a motel in the 1960s and converted to condos in 1980.

The building has been "red-tagged" as unsafe since the shutdown in April and all of the condo residents have been displaced.

Ocean City Councilman Bill Barr, Congressman Jeff Van Drew's office, Ocean City's Office of Emergency Management, and OCNJ CARE have been working to help the displaced condo residents.