Cape May, NJ ... A look ahead

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Cape May County is located at the southern end of New Jersey, on the eastern coast of the USA. It has been a long time favorite vacation getaway for folks in the larger cities, being only a few hours drive from Philadelphia, Washington D.C., or New York City. Cool ocean breezes and wide sand beaches make it a popular tourist resort. Over the past few decades, the region has seen explosive development. The new mayor has been handed a daunting task: Developing the county to accomodate the flood of new residents flocking to the area while protecting the natural beauty of the region.

The southern end of the county consists of Lower Township, the Cape Island communities and the Wildwoods.

As I'm trying to simultaneously develop the region, all cities are less than 15 years old. 

The north end of the region consists of Middle Township, Avalon and Stone Harbor.

Besides laying down the basic road network and some beaches, I haven't gotten to do much here yet

The mayor must adhere to several Federal and State laws.
1. In accordance with the Clean Water Act, all surface waters are to be maintained to the highest possible purity.
2. There will be no development in areas designated as National Wildlife Refuge, save transportation. Lots bordering such areas are limited to low density and recreational uses.
3. Areas designated as Coastal Wetlands or Wildlife Management Areas shall be permitted limited development less than 10% of the total acreage, and only non-polluting structures may be built. Provisions must be made to prevent water pollution from farm runoff.

Tidal Wetlands along the shore of Great Sound, west of Avalon

Consisting mainly of sod banks, mud flats and an occasional quicksand pit, it's not exactly what you would call choice real-estate, especially when tropical storms, hurricanes, and winter nor'easters put them under several feet of very angry water. These marshes are the foundation of the food chain, providing a home and nursery for nearly all of the region's marine wildlife, and provide a stopover for migratory waterfowl in the spring and fall.

Weurker's Farm  ( Rio Grande)

4. In accordance with the Farmlands Preservation Act, All lands held as protected farmland must remain as such and never be rezoned. Should said farmland be distressed due to pollution, the mayor must make all efforts to restore the farmland to its original condition or provide substitute protected acreage out of available municipal lands. 

 INFRASTRUCTURE

Transportation Network- South

Most of the existing road network has been maintained, although some major arteries were upgraded from roads to avenues . The main north-south route is the Garden State Parkway, leading to Atlantic City and New York. It is paralelled by US Route 9 . Route 47 exits Wildwood heading  northwest, then turning north along the bayfront.

Delaware Bay Bridge leaves New Jersey just east of the Cape May Point lighthouse.

    The mayor's made some notable additions. The Cape May -Lewes (Delaware) Ferry is no more.  The 21 mile overwater link to DelMarVa is now accomplished via the Delaware Bay Bridge-Tunnel (toll) , a more modern version of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge 200 or so miles to the south. It is linked to the end of the Parkway by the Cape Island Expressway, which continues east , tunneling under Cold Spring Inlet. It then joins with Ocean Drive and becomes a much needed high speed N-S route along the barrier islands. In addition , there are additional bridges over the Cape May Canal, at  Bayshore and Shunpike Roads. Before WWII, when the Canal was built, those roads once connected Cape May to towns further north. The mayor has decided it's high time that they do so again. 

Regional rail service is loosely based on the Cape May Seashore Lines and long abandoned track of the Pennsylvania RR. In addition to the existing stations at Cape May, Cold Spring, amd Cape May Court House, commuter stations have been added at Erma , Rio Grande ,Whitesboro and Burleigh. The abandoned rail line heading west from Cape May to Cape May Point has been restored, and a commuter station added there and at West Cape May . Spur lines service the Rio Grande and Middle Township Industrial Parks.

     To this, the mayor has added the Bayshore Line. This dual purpose railway runs west from Rio Grande to the Villas. There it turns south , running in a series of tunnels (expensive!) beneath Villas and North Cape May to stations in Town Bank, North Cape May, and finally on to the seaport at the abandoned Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal

Seaport and Industrial Complex at West end of the Cape May Canal (abandoned Cape May-Lewes Ferry site)

The southern end of this line returns to the Cape May Seashore lines via the farmland along the Cape May Canal and rejoins it south of Ferry Road. 

Transportation Network - North

Still incomplete for the most part. The most notable difference is that Highway 55 no longer ends at the Cape May County line, but enters the region west of Goshen and connects to the Parkway in Cape May Court House at Mechanic Street. After 30 years of petty politics, the mayor was finally able to accomplish a direct highway link to Philadelphia and points north and west.

Bug Light  (Deadman's Shoal, in Delaware Bay west of Reed's Beach)

Upgraded to a more substantial structure similar to those atop Brandywine and Miah Maul Shoals , Bug Light is an important aid to navigation for shipping on Delaware Bay. 

Seaport facilities were limited to those of the local commercial fishing fleet and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, all in need of some serious dredging to make them seaport-capable. Channels were dug to deep water ( not as costly as I thought it would be) and at the moment there are two operational seaports: the one at the Ferry terminal and another on the south shore of Cape May Harbor. Rail lines connect to the region's farms and industries.

Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority

This facility handles all the waste disposal needs of Villas, Town Bank, North Cape May, Bayshore East,Fishing Creek, Cape May Canal, Higbee's Beach, Erma, and Cold Spring. At the moment it is disposing of nearly 1200 tons of garbage monthly. All cities in the region engage in a vigorous recycling program, inluding trash presort and paperwork reduction.

Additional centralized waste disposal facilities are located in West Cape May (serving the Cape Island  communities), Cold Spring Inlet ( serving the Widwoods), and the Middle Township MUA.(serving Middle Township, Stone Harbor , and Avalon) An additional county facility is located in Crest Haven.

So Far, so Good

15 years into the project and things are looking good.

Cape May (downtown) , Year 15

Mostly Residential and Commercial, there is a little bit of hi tech industry north of Perry St..The Cape May Convention Center (lower right) was awarded after completing the Sick Bus Driver U-Drive It  mission.

Cape May (east side)

Some environmental issues to deal with here. The US Coast Guard Air-Sea Rescue Airbase is supplemented by an airborne fire fighting unit to help out in seaborne disasters. Cape May University (center) occupies land east of Pittsburgh Avenue. East of  CMU is Beachcomber Stadium , awarded for completing the Who Loves Ya, Baby U-Fly-It mission. GDV Roscoe Yacht Club is located on the southwestern corner of Cape May Harbor ( upper left)

 

Cape May Cove section of the city.

The cove west of 2nd Avenue Jetty (lower center, at west end of Beach Drive)was once the town of South Cape May, reclaimed by the ocean years ago.

Cape Island Creek section of Cape May

Some environmental issues here too, but the recent addition of a water treatment plant and imposing a severe (15%) tax rate on polluting industries is improving the situation . Madison Avenue has been extended to connect with the Cape Island Expressway. The rail spur east leads to a rail tunnel that connects to the seaport and points further east on Sewell Point.

The Cape May Canal section of Lower Township.

The Cape May Canal was constructed to allow access from Cape May Harbor to Delaware Bay, avoiding the dangerous rips and shoals off of Cape May Point. Primarily farmland, this part of the region is seeing rapid residential growth.The North Cape May Shopping Mall is in the NW corner. Additional farmland has been zoned south of the canal.

 

Cape May Point

The Cape May Lighthouse is just one of the tourist draws to this city (bottom left). There is also the shipwreck of the SS Atlantus, (upper left) a WWI cargo ship made of concrete that sunk during a storm long ago. Cape May Point State Park occupies the land east of the city and is a favorite spot of beachgoers, surf fishermen and bird watchers. North of the city is Higbee's Beach National Wildlife Santuary.

This community is fighting a battle for survival against the sea. The ruins of the old WWII gun mounts (lower center, east of the Delaware Bay Bridge) that once stood well inland are now a few hundred yards offshore. Several rock jetties were placed around the 'Point and several offshore artificial reefs (off map, south and west) were added to help combat erosion.

North Cape May  (Lower Township)

Mostly residential, with commercial centers concentrated on Bayshore Road ( right), and around the intersection of Town Bank and Clubhouse Roads ( upper center) . A high tech industrial park ( with rail access) has been built in the woods noth of town.

Town Bank section of Lower Township

A new commercial area has been added on Bayshore Road south of the intersection of Bayshore and Breakwater Roads. Le Gates' Farm is to the left.

Erma (Lower Township)

I've widened the distance between Seashore Road and Route 9 to allow for more development on either side of the Cape May Seashore Lines. The commercial areas are for the most part concentrated on Seashore Road and Route 9 between Breakwater Road and Week's Landing Road. Residential areas are between Breakwater and Week's Landing Road (top , center) and developments off of Academy Road ( left). The intersection of Route 9 and Breakwater Road has been upgraded to a highway interchange to help speed traffic along. A Resort Hotel with private beach  is at Lake Laurie, and a golf resort ( Cape May National) is planned for the land south of there.

 Rio Grande (west), in Middle Township

Most of the city's commerce is centered on the intersection of Route 47 and Seashore Road. This is mainly just an extension of Rio Grande's main commercial district further east ( see next ).  North of the Route 47 commercial district is the Rio Grande Industrial Park and the city's power plant. To the southwest is the Cape May County Airport ( such as it is now, merely  a landing strip) and the Airport Industrial Park. Weurker's Farm occupies most of the land west of Seashore Road. The Fulling Mill Road intersection has been upgraded to a highway in order to speed traffic to and from Villas .

Rio Grande (east) , in Middle Township

Some environmental issues here. This was the first city in the region , and was a little industry-heavy at first. Pollution was effecting the western edges of Hand's Farm (top, center) , so I dezoned most of the medium industry east of the railroad tracks and raised tax rates on dirty industry . It wasn't working fast enough , so I had to go in with a bulldozers and drive the polluters out the hard way.

Rio Grande Business District.

It's location at 9and 47 with nearby Parkway connections make Rio Grande a thriving commercial center. The commercial boom has triggered an increase in residential building. Luxury condos overlooking lush farmland have been built along Old Rio Grande Avenue.

[Jetty Jockey 186]

I'm not using any money cheats or mods. So far, the only thing not from Maxis that's generating revenue is Goldiva's Yacht Club- It was too beautiful to pass up. Most of the BATs are growable-only ( we'll see how long that one holds up). I did start all the cities in easy mode- needed the cash to pay for a massive overhaul of the transportation network. Well, that's the project... time for me to get to work!

[AfroThunda 1]

Good start, but the pic you uploaded doesnt work! The attached picture works but not the one in your post.

 

  -Afro

[MayorVieira 1]

Nice terrain you got there... where did you get it?

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Date: 5/18/2004 8:44:37 AM
Author:
Nice terrain you got there... where did you get it?

quote>
The terrain was hand drawn by me from a county street map, using only SC4's god mode editing tools. I had trouble with the USGS stuff, as the land in the tidal marshlands is only a few inches above sea level ( depending upon the tide. Many creeks and islands were missing , so I had to start from scratch. It was quite a job, but I had to do something to pass the time until Rush Hour came out

[Jetty Jockey 186]

 consolidated into another post- moderator please delete

[themallard12 55]

Dont forget the Cape May Seashore Lines Railroad! http://www.cmslrr.com/

[Jetty Jockey 186]

No chance of me forgetting the Cape May Seashore Lines. Starting Memorial Day weekend they start running again, and my house is about 200 yards from one of thier crossings. I remember back when I was a youngin' ( I'm 43 now!), it was the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. You could take a train from Wildwood or Rio Grande to Lindenwold, climb the stairs, then take the high speed line into Philly. The street map I'm working from has helpfully included all the abandoned rail lines in the county, which I'm re-activating for passenger and freight service.

I'd love to see some of those talented folks come up with a Budd car Mod. Just don't tell 'em about the pollution it kicks out!

 

Here's a shot of the Cape May station( located at Lafayette and Ocean) looking west. To the left is Star of the Sea RC church and the Washington Street Mall, where tourists can stroll and shop. The rail tunnel passes under  Broad Street on it's way north out of town.

[SimMaster 17]

It looks very realistic so far. I've been to Cape May and Atlantic City about a dozen times. I hope this city journal is successful.

[ginchael 1]

It looks freakin awesome!  Cape May is one of my favorite towns in the U.S... I will be watching this one...

 

*subscribes*

[+Guest]

I've never been to Cape May, but I have been to Wildwood (my favorite beach is Ocean City, not too far away, and not as.....flashy as wildwood). I remember when I first went to Wildwood about 3 or 4 years ago, we tried Route 55, but it turned into like a 2 lane road once we gout near the beach, and it took forever. So it's all freeway now? We take the ACE to the GSP right now.

[Jetty Jockey 186]

No, only in the Sim world.  The four lane ends at the county line.I guess I'd better offer a disclaimer with this region. I'd hate to be responsible for people in Delaware driving into the ocean looking for the Delaware Bay Bridge Tunnel!

[+Guest]

Date: 5/18/2004 9:57:35 PM
Author:

No, only in the Sim world. The four lane ends at the county line.I guess I'd better offer a disclaimer with this region. I'd hate to be responsible for people in Delaware driving into the ocean looking for the Delaware Bay Bridge Tunnel!

quote>


Ooooooh.......

[whoman69 0]

Very impressive job of mapping.  That had to have taken a couple of hours, eh.  I will look forward to seeing some of the development.

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Date:5/18/2004 11:55:28 PM
Author:whoman69

Very impressive job of mapping.  That had to have taken a couple of hours, eh.  I will look forward to seeing some of the development.

quote>

Weeks of hours

[whoman69 0]

Someday I'll get off my butt and make my home region, but I'm sure its not going to be the visual masterpiece that you've put together.

[Jhipolito 27]

GREAT map...

 

I love how it looks; very realistic!  Keep up the great work

[whateverwhatever24 0]

Cape May is one of my favorite vacation spots! its so nice! Wildwood is a little too loud though. By the way, did Hurricane Isabelle affect Cape May because i know that here in D.C it got pretty bad. (power out for a week in some spots, trees down)

[Yellowlab 11]

Jaw-dropping!  Looks absolutely amazing.

[Mdz1001 0]

Well I am from New Jersey, and this is the first New-Jersey based region here that I have seen here (other than the Camden part of Philadelphia), but this looks awesome, especially considering you did it by hand. I'm really impressed.

 

P.S. Let's just hope that Cape May-Lewes bridge/tunnel gets built.

[+Guest]

Finally, a region based after New Jersey, Not New York, Not Philadelphia but NEW JERSEY!
I had to put that refference of NJ 101.5 in there but the region looks great.

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Date:5/19/2004 8:20:08 PM
Author:whateverwhatever24

Cape May is one of my favorite vacation spots! its so nice! Wildwood is a little too loud though. By the way, did Hurricane Isabelle affect Cape May because i know that here in D.C it got pretty bad. (power out for a week in some spots, trees down)

quote>

Not too bad. It was a minimal category 1 by the time it got here. I boarded up anyway, just for the practice. It entitled me to put another name on my hurricane plywood. The other was Hurricane Floyd in 2000, I think.  

Substantially increasing the population of this region would make it a death trap in the event of a major ( category 3 or better) hurricane . Flood waters would submerge the causeways and rail lines leading from the barrier islands to the mainland, trapping tens of thousands. Hi-rise windows would be blown out and some taller structures would fail altogether in winds over 120mph. A storm surge of over 12 feet would overwash the barrier islands , and in a few places, the ocean would meet Delaware Bay. One only needs to look at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Andrew on the Miami metropolitan area to see the effects of a major storm on an urban area. Fortunately, no hurricanes in this version of SC.  It was my favorite disaster in SC2K. Used to love watching to see how far up the water came and what was left when it was over.

[MTLT_17 27]

Is this a real place?

 

-MTLT

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Date:5/20/2004 12:24:58 AM
Author:MTLT_17

Is this a real place?

 

-MTLT

quote>

Sure is. It's about 100 miles SSE of Philadelphia, Pa. , or 150 (or so) miles south of New York City

[Smurfer2 7]

Well, this is looking good so far. I've been to Cape May several times when I was little. It's been a few years since I was last there....

[themallard12 55]

The real Cape May Station is actually on the right at the end of the line, if your looking S/ S/E. Just something that caught my eye.

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Date:5/20/2004 5:03:29 PM
Author:themallard12

The real Cape May Station is actually on the right at the end of the line, if your looking S/ S/E. Just something that caught my eye.

quote>

Revised placement of Cape May Station. (looking north) Ya know, it actually works better this way. It places more of the Washington Street Mall within walking distance of the station. Thanks for the tip!

[JERRY367 2]

Hi

 

Region map looks great is it to scale? Where can I find it I've been trying to make a map of New Jersey

[Jetty Jockey 186]

Date:5/20/2004 6:05:45 PM
Author:JERRY367

Hi

 

Region map looks great is it to scale? Where can I find it I've been trying to make a map of New Jersey

quote> 

 The way I figured scale is to follows :

 I found a section of light residential where the blocks were straight and I knew the neighborhood ( I picked North Cape May because i once had a paper route there as a kid and knew the streets well) I then determined a block to be 5 tiles wide ( street-house-yard-yard-house) . I compared that to huge 1=3775' scale street map I purchased at a local Wawa ( it's an area convenience store ). I don't have the exact figures, but I came up with a small map at about 0.8 miles square, a medium at 1.6, and a large at 3.2 miles. Probably not right, but everything fits now I was never able to achieve this in similar attempts with SC2K or SC3KU. I superimposed my SC4 grid map over the street map and went to work.

As I was disappointed with the initial release of SC4 , I did a little here and a little there while I waited to buy RH and eventually it turned into what you see here.

I take the realism thing with a grain of salt.  Sims, as an electrical-based life form  I guess, have higher power demands than us humans do. In reality, the region is powered by a single coal plant located in the neighboring region and from what they pull off the grid. It seems I have power plants in every other city, although I've been working neighbor deals and a lot of my beachfront cities now import thier power and export garbage . ( had to hit my Sims with a tax hike to pay for that!) Also,  no Sim in thier right mind would touch my commute from Erma to Cape May Court House, even though it's only about 7 miles and a 25 minute ride up the parkway (down to 15 minutes once they clear up the construction mess on Route 47 between Route 9 and the Parkway) . The more I keep telling myself close enough for Sim , the happier I stay.

 

[ert90 8]

SWEET!!! I visit Cape May almost every summer. Actually, I stay in North Wildwood but we go to Cape May every time we go down to the shore. It's a great town. Especially all the shops and those huge Victorian houses on the shore. I would love to live in one of those.