After years of sitting mostly silent on 94th Street, the former Ocean Plaza Mall is finally trading weeds for work crews. Continental Realty Corporation has kicked off a full redevelopment of the 17-acre property at 9401 Coastal Highway, transforming it into Bayside Shops at 94th, a grocery-anchored center built around a significantly larger ACME Markets. The plan layers in new shop space and nearby townhomes that are poised to reshape one of north Ocean City’s busiest commercial corridors.
In a June 5 press release, Continental Realty said the project will total nearly 60,000 square feet, including a new 48,000-square-foot ACME Markets and about 11,000 square feet of in-line retail space, and that demolition of the former Roses Discount Stores building wrapped earlier this year, according to Continental Realty Corporation.
Ocean City Mayor Richard Meehan has called the redevelopment “an important investment in North Ocean City” and said it will deliver “enhanced services, improved accessibility, and renewed vitality” to the corridor, the Daily Record reported. The outlet also noted that Continental Realty acquired the property in 2004 and is aiming to finish the project in late 2026 or early 2027.
What’s Being Built
The star of the new center will be the 48,000-square-foot ACME Markets, roughly doubling down on the site’s grocery draw and surrounded by about 11,000 square feet of in-line shop space. That brings Bayside Shops at 94th to nearly 60,000 square feet in total, according to Continental Realty’s project materials.
ARA Construction is listed as the general contractor, DeBarbieri Architects as architect of record, and Vista Design as the civil engineer. Leasing materials show multiple shop sizes available, giving the project flexibility to court restaurants and service tenants of various footprints. Continental Realty’s announcement and the posted leasing information outline square footage and contacts for would-be tenants.
A Long-Vacant Site Gets New Life
The Ocean Plaza property has been a glaring gap on the north end of town since Roses closed in 2024. Demolition of the former Roses building cleared the stage for construction of the new center.
Continental Realty also sold off smaller pieces of the site to NVR Homes, which plans townhomes on two parcels adjacent to the future ACME, according to current listings on PropertyShark.
What Comes Next
ACME will keep operating at its current Ocean City location while the new store is under construction, then relocate to the 94th Street building once it is complete, according to the reporting. Continental Realty and town officials expect the work to wrap by late 2026 or early 2027, with the remaining retail spaces rolling onto the market as the center recruits restaurants and other service tenants.
In the meantime, neighbors can expect a steady run of construction traffic and on-site activity through the summer and into the shoulder season as crews handle site work, remaining demolition tasks, and building framing.
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