Bayville seaside inn proposal dropped in favor of an event center

A controversial seaside inn proposal for Bayville has been dropped in favor of an event center to be detailed at a village board meeting Monday.

The developers created the new concept for the waterfront property on Bayville Avenue, commonly known as the former site of Steve’s Pier, after a repeal in November of the village zoning code that would have permitted a four-floor inn to be built.

D'Wayne Prieto, chief executive of Dobbs Ferry-based Ward Capital Management, LLC, an investor in the project, said the new proposal includes a spa, event center and restaurant and has been completely redesigned by the firm's in-house architect.

Prieto declined to provide details before the presentation, but said it would not require variances from the village board and would be built to complement a planned renovation of the Tides Motor Inn, down the street from the site.

“It’s the perfect town for a boutique event center-hotel,” Prieto said. The project would have a national hotel brand name, he said.

The earlier proposal had envisioned a 14,273-square-foot, 23-room hotel for the property owned by Leonard Gross. In November, the village board changed the zoning code to prohibit a seaside inn and a lawyer for Gross had threatened legal action.

Bayville Mayor Robert De Natale had opposed the earlier plan, but has embraced the new one.

De Natale said he had reviewed preliminary plans of the new proposal, which he said was smaller and “less imposing on the property” than the seaside inn proposal had been and would not require a variance.

“It’s a plan the residents will be excited to see,” the mayor said. “It’s very fitting for the area.”

De Natale said the presentation is a preliminary step and it could be several months before a plan is finalized.

The village board meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Bayville Intermediate School, 50 Mountain Ave.