The merchants of the Washington Street Mall along with the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) are excited to announce that the Washington Street Mall has been designated a 2021 “Great Place in New Jersey''. Through a highly competitive nomination process, the Washington Street Mall stood out as representing the gold standard of exemplary character, quality, and planning in New Jersey.
The Great Places in New Jersey Awards Jury looked at each nominee’s true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and vision for tomorrow when selecting designees. Through the hard work of the Washington Street Mall merchants and the City of Cape May, the Mall emerged as a leader among all aspects of the designation criteria. Representatives of the Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District submitted pictures and an explanatory narrative outlining how the Mall was truly one of New Jersey’s great places.
Specifically, the Mall was designated as a “Great Street”, characterized by how it relates to adjacent development, encourages social activity, and has a memorable character. APA New Jersey noted the Mall’s balance of the competing needs of a common street, such as its numerous bike racks and the free Jitney shuttle service that helps to ease parking. The Mall’s buildings with gingerbread-like architecture, numerous seating areas, luscious gardens, shady trees, historical markers, gas lamps, bistro-style string lights, and Instagram-worthy photo opportunities all also helped to secure the designation.
The merchants of the Washington Street Mall are proud to add this award to Cape May’s ever-growing list of accolades and are eager to continue to help the heart of Cape May grow and prosper. 2021 was an exciting year for the Mall, with the launch of a brand-new comprehensive website, the beginning of the Mall’s 50th anniversary, new business openings, and the debut of the new highly-popular bistro-style string lights. The merchants are eager to continue this momentum in 2022 as they continue to welcome you to enjoy unique shopping, dining, and more in the picturesque heart of America’s original seaside resort!
