A project of this size, of course, requires the approval of the City Planning Committee, the Zoning Board and the Historic Preservation Commission. We expect local residents and businesses to express a mixture of reactions – some are excited about such a memorable addition and boost to Cape May’s tourism industry, some are concerned about the hotel’s size and traffic.

The hotel would continue the trend across America to develop areas at risk of flooding and storms. A few thoughts on that.

Cape May is already fully developed, and if a project meets current state and federal requirements (parking on the lower floors reminds us of typical European building in such zones) it should be fine in that regard. Arguments for larger state and federal coastal restrictions are welcome, but today’s projects cannot be required to meet some imaginary future rules.

Whatever the risk of the hotel’s proximity to the ocean (and it’s not nearly as close as the convention center), most of that risk seems to be borne by the owners and their insurance.

Eventually, it is becoming increasingly clear that adaptations that reduce flooding and protect buildings are the appropriate and affordable answer to life on the shore. If anything, the existence of projects like this grand hotel will likely help build the support needed to move ahead with the massive flood and storm containment work.