A proposal to redevelop a waterfront lot in Venice Park into a nursery for shellfish recently took a step forward after the Atlantic City Planning Board voted to approve a site plan for the project. Officials voted to approve the proposal from Sapphire Shoals Mariculture LLC on June 2 during the board’s regular meeting.
Documents made public by the board state that the LLC intends to build a 1.5-story metal storage building with a mezzanine office and a parking lot for seven cars on the 21,070-square-foot lot at 1937 North Riverside Drive.
The board did not make the full application documents public. However, an engineering review of the application, authored by the consulting firm Artheon, says the proposed building will measure 30 feet by 60 feet, yielding a floor area of at least 1,800 square feet. The review says the building will also include a roof over a concrete pad work area at the western end of the building and a 10-foot-by-10-foot trash and recycling enclosure.
The application calls for a fixed pier and two floating piers extending into Beach Thorofare, as well as a 10-foot-wide walkway along the northern property line to provide public access to the bayfront.
Sapphire Shoals did not request any variances or design waivers for the proposed project.
Property records from the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office show that the parcel at 1937 North Riverside Drive is owned by Genesis Revitalization Group, which is based in Atlantic City. Genesis has controlled the parcel since it acquired it for $28,000 in June 2025. The city took control of the parcel in 2019 after a foreclosure judgment.
Sapphire Shoals is under contract to purchase the property from Genesis, according to planning board documents. The company’s website says it owns an aquaculture farm in Great Bay and has a sister farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
The application did not make it clear whether the Great Bay farm would continue to operate after the North Riverside Drive location opens.
Sapphire Shoals did not return Jersey Digs’ request for comment.
A 2023 report in NJ Spotlight News says commercial fishing, along with shellfish farming, contributes approximately $1 billion a year to the state’s economy. All the while, the Venice Park neighborhood in Atlantic City has seen a wave of new city investment in recent years.
Jersey Digs reported in July 2024 that Atlantic City’s First-Time Homebuyer Lottery Program made 10 homes available for purchase to qualifying residents in the city. The report said the city is investing $1 million toward the project, while New Jersey Community Capital would provide a $100,000 subsidy.
