While many wave pools coming off the drawing boards now are being used as anchors for private communities, or hotel and restaurant combinations, an increasing number are being built as star attractions for activity parks.

One such proposed development is Adventure Crossing, in Jackson, New Jersey. A sprawling 4-stage development featuring Golf, bowling, sports fields, rinks and courts, indoor recreation, hotel and restaurants, 300 residential units, a convention center, and yes, a wave pool. Or as Adventure Crossing’s media kit calls it – ‘a technological marvel’. The project was initially approved in 2018 and the first phase includes a giant inflatable sports dome and multiple outdoor fields. Outdoor sports fields are already open and being used for tournaments and leagues.

The wave pool is set to be part of the fourth phase – totaling 88 acres – of the Adventure Crossing development, and has been approved by the Jackson Township Zoning board. “It’s basically the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle that’s going to connect what’s been constructed for phase one where the ball fields are to the future phase three,” said Graham Macfarlane, the project’s engineer.

The vast project spans 282 acres, including a 134-room, five-story Hilton Garden Inn (interestingly, it’s also a Hilton Garden Inn that caters for the Adventure Parc Snowdonia wave pool in Wales, UK) plus a 70,000 square-foot indoor water park, with six acres slated for the wave pool.

During a public meeting held April, 20 residents expressed concern about a cogeneration power plant and its potential environmental and health ramifications. A Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time.

Resident Vince Scatuccio said, “It doesn’t make sense to add a power plant and add pollution to Jackson,” noting he was concerned about the health of residents and visitors. Vito Cardinale, the project’s developer, responded to concerns about the cogeneration power plant by saying the electric company JCP&L wasn’t capable of providing enough power “in the long run to make this project be efficient.” As was reported in NJ.com.

A zoning board member, James Hurley, indicated that he’d feel more comfortable if there was an accompanying statement from the Department of Environmental Protection saying the cogeneration plant doesn’t present an environmental hazard to the nearby sports fields and proposed open-air water sections.

“We really haven’t had an environmental expert testify here, on behalf of the applicant with regard to that,” he said. Hurley’s proposal was added to the plan, as a contingent of the approval.

In the end, the zoning board voted 6-1 in favor of the development with vice-chairman, and board member, Steve Costanzo voting against it.

The Adventure Crossing site is an hour’s drive from the PerfectSwell technology at SkudinSurf American Dream, 70 miles from NYC, 60 miles from Philadelphia, and 65 miles from Atlantic City. It’s also close to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and Great Adventure Park, plus several wineries. Within a 100-mile radius of Adventure Crossing there are almost 30 million people, and 3 international airports.

From artistic renditions, it’s a pretty safe bet it’s going to be Wavegarden tech powering the pool, though this hasn’t been officially confirmed. All artwork for the proposed New Jersey pool is the spitting image of Australia’s Urbnsurf in Melbourne. The pool is slated to have 45 to 56 modules pumping out waves. To compare other Wave Garden pools, Urbnsurf and Alaia Bay both have 46 modules and offer waves of 2-7ft. Rides on beginner waves are 8-10 seconds long, and waves on the intermediate/advanced settings provide around 12 seconds of ride-time. Korea’s Wave Park has the full 56 modules and offers longer rides.

As space isn’t an issue with the Adventure Crossing development, hopefully, a larger pool with longer rides will prevail. The surrounding area will see a surf center including a beach club, a restaurant and bar, a cafe, locker rooms, event space, and a surf academy, according to the presentation. Though an opening date for the wave pool has yet to be released. It’s time for East Coast surfers to rejoice.