The future of the shuttered Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey, is up in the air after city council voted against a plan to develop the area into a high-rise hotel resort.

In a 6-1 vote Thursday night, city council voted against sending the plan to the Ocean City Planning Board for review. The proposal for the hotel was pitched by Icona Resorts.

"The current property owner sought this designation as a way to gain permission to construct a new hotel in a zone where hotels are not permitted," a statement from City Council President Terry Crowley Jr. on Friday reads in part. "The majority of Council felt that the importance of this property to the entire boardwalk, and the city, calls for the more comprehensive review encompassed in a Master Plan re-examination, in which the entire Boardwalk zone would be evaluated, rather than a Plan of Rehabilitation or Redevelopment, which would focus on this site alone."

The plan for the hotel on the boardwalk between 5th and 6th streets, which would be named "Icona in Wonderland," received lots of pushback, including from Mayor Jay Gillian.

Earlier this year, a survey conducted by the Eagleton Center at Rutgers University and commissioned by the local advocacy group Ocean City 2050, found that 53% of residents are very or somewhat opposed to the project. Only 44% supported it, while 3% remained unsure.

While the survey was independently conducted by Rutgers, it was funded by Ocean City 2050, a group that also opposes the resort plan.

Bill Merritt, president of the group Friends of Ocean City History and Culture, previously told CBS News Philadelphia that thousands of people oppose the idea because it threatens the historic character, zoning integrity and family-friendly culture that define Ocean City.

Wonderland Pier closed its doors in October 2024, leaving bittersweet memories for families and community members not ready to say goodbye. 

In his statement, Crowley Jr. assured the public their voices were heard, whether they were ones of support or opposition. 

"Now it's time to move forward and work together to plan a bright future for our boardwalk and the entire town," the statement read in closing.