Trump reaches deal for Jones Beach catering hall

Following a lengthy legal battle over design issues, a deal has been reached for Donald Trump to build his estimated $24 million Trump on the Ocean restaurant and catering hall on Jones Beach, the Wall Street Journal reported. Builders could break ground as soon as early next year on the 80,000-square-foot project with the restaurant to open two years later.

The deal was struck thanks largely to a compromise reached on the building’s proposed basement, which will be 14,000 square feet, not 26,710, and will not include kitchens or work areas, as Trump had originally wanted.

“This is a settlement that is good for everybody, especially the state of New York,” said Trump in a news release, “and will lead to the creation of the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the country.” He even referred to the project as something that Jones Beach builder Robert Moses “would have been proud of” for its design and “the tremendous number of jobs created.”

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However, there remains opposition to the project from local community groups who refer to the project as “illegal.” Some fear the complex will be thought of as a “high rise or some kind of casino” along a historic beachfront.

As The Real Deal previously reported, the activist group named the Alliance to Revitalize Jones Beach held a rally in support of the project with Trump as the featured guest. Supporters outnumbered protestors there, who held signs bearing the words “Dump Trump.” Trump said the project would bring 1,000 construction jobs and at least 500 permanent jobs. [WSJ]