Iconic Ocean City Building Could Become New Police HQ, Mayor Says

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A landmark building in downtown Ocean City is being explored for potential use as a new police headquarters, Mayor Jay Gillian said.

Gillian announced the news about the former Crown Bank building in his weekly update this past Friday.

"We are currently exploring the possibility of purchasing the former Crown Bank Building at 801 Asbury Avenue to see if it would be more cost-effective than rebuilding the existing police station at 835 Central Avenue," he wrote.

Gillian previously wanted to build a new public safety building that combined police and fire departments; it fell through due to its high cost.

That changed to a renovation and expansion of the existing building. This was the latest plan. Nothing else was known to have been under consideration until Gillian's Friday announcement.

"At this time, the city is pursuing due diligence to check the structural integrity of the building at 801 Asbury for use as the public safety building," Gillian said. "Police are currently housed there in rented space, and they say the building meets their needs. I will continue to provide updates as this process moves forward."

The Crown Bank building has been transformed into the Shoppes at Asbury, a collection of retail stores, since it was purchased by local investors and brothers Raj and Yogi Khatiwala.