THE BOROUGH OF BELMAR

BY ERIN McFEETERS

Located in Monmouth County along the Jersey Shore, the Borough of Belmar is a small beach community known for its boardwalk and bustling Main Street. If you live in Central New Jersey, the sandy beaches of Belmar are just under an hour away via Route 195 East.

“Belmar is like two towns in one,” said the Borough of Belmar Mayor Mark Walsifer. “Our Borough is very unique. During the winter months, we have approximately 6000 year-round residents but during the summer we swell to about 10 times that amount, 60,000.”

Belmar is “a small quaint shore town, with a smalltown Main Street,” said Joe Rizzuto, Owner of Main Street Donuts. His shop features an array of donuts with unique flavors like the Brooklyn Blackout, inspired by the chocolate cake he grew up eating in Brooklyn, the Holy Cannoli, and French Toast. Belmar is “hustling in the summer, but the off-season also is beautiful,” said Rizzuto.

With nearly 50 shops and more than 70 dining spots, Belmar has something for everyone—whether you’re a beach lover, shopper, craft beer connoisseur, or restauranteur. Plus, you can walk or bike anywhere in town since the borough is just over one square mile in size.

Unlike many beach towns along the Jersey Shore, Belmar isn’t a ghost town after Labor Day—seasonal events, hosted during what’s considered the off-season, keep Belmar a destination to visit throughout the year. The borough’s beaches and mile-long boardwalk are open year-round—swim and surf in the summer and stroll the brick-paved sidewalks of Main Street in the winter.

“Belmar’s economy greatly depends on tourism and summer visitors. We have many great events throughout the year like our St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Seafood Festival, the Feast of San Gennaro and our Dine & Discover Restaurant Tour,” said Walsifer. “Visitors to these events help our businesses immensely. The influx of visitors during the summer is great for our businesses as well and they are much appreciated, but it puts a major burden on Belmar as far as our staff is concerned.”

When the influx of summer visitors hits, the police department triples in size, the beaches become fully staffed, and more first responders are hired. According to Walsifer, even though summer visitors tax the town financially, they are needed to help businesses and sustain the services offered by the town.

The Borough of Belmar has an array of home types and price points—there is a home or second home for every beach lover. According to New Jersey Realtors® October 2020 Housing Statistics, the median sales price for singlefamily homes in Belmar Borough is $625,000 year-to-date, while townhouses and condos have a median sales price of $290,000 year-to-date.

October 2020 marked eight years since Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc along New Jersey’s coast and destroyed Belmar’s boardwalk and beachfront. Walsifer isn’t sure they will ever be fully recovered but since the historic event, “policy changes were made such as stricter hurricane requirements for all new construction, flood zones were changed and drainage was improved and our infrastructure is in the process of being upgraded,” said Walsifer. “If we ever have another weather event like Sandy again, we will be much better prepared.”