Board of Adjustment approves White Sands request to lift restrictions on downstairs dining

The Point Pleasant Beach Board of Adjustment voted on July 16, 2026, to approve the White Sands hotel application to remove earlier restrictions that limited the use of a downstairs breakfast room and barred advertising for the bar. John Jackson, representing the White Sands, told the board the restaurant and banquet operations have been a longstanding, accessory use of the hotel and the application is a clarification, not an expansion.

Jackson said the request relates to specific prior conditions in multiple resolutions and asked the board to lift a restriction that limited the breakfast area’s public access and another that prevented the bar from being advertised to the public. "It's been a prominent hotel operation in Point Pleasant Beach for many years," Jackson said as he described the property and its longstanding role in the borough's resort economy.

Christine Caffone, the applicant's planner, told the board the changes are a technical clarification of a nonconforming use and argued the proposal advances goals in Point Pleasant Beach’s 2022 master plan to promote year-round vibrancy and complementary local businesses. Caffone said the application seeks relief from several conditions, including language tied to a May 2006 resolution that limited breakfast-area hours and prohibited advertising of the bar.

Manager and family owner-operator Jimmy Chiaia described how the downstairs rooms are used: a lounge and dining area for daily restaurant service, a courtyard used as a breakout space and a banquet configuration the hotel still deploys for larger events. "This room is basically being used the same way as it was used for many years," Chiaia said, noting the space supports weddings, small community events and steady restaurant business that helps payroll during off-season months.

Board members questioned whether lifting the conditions could allow the hotel to add seating or host simultaneous events that would increase parking demand. Caffone and the applicant repeatedly said that is not the intention and that any change that raised parking needs or added seating beyond the noticed application would require separate notice and relief. The board noted an apparent 40-seat limit in the lounge/bar area referenced in prior resolutions and heard that the breakfast-area hours had been restricted previously to 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

After deliberation, the board moved to close discussion and voted to approve the application with the caveat that the auxiliary room must remain accessory to the restaurant and not become additional, unnoted restaurant seating. The board’s approval was announced by the chair; members present voted in the affirmative.

The board’s action lifts the prior stated limitations on the breakfast area and bar advertising but preserves the board’s ability to require additional relief should the hotel later seek to expand seating or parking. The approval concludes this agenda item; the board indicated any changes beyond the scope of this application would need additional notice and review.