OCEAN CITY – State legislation passed last summer allowing for structures to be built on existing commercial piers will not be added to the city code after being turned down by the Mayor and City Council.
On Tuesday afternoon, Director of Planning, Community and Development Matt Margotta presented the Mayor and City Council with the opportunity to allow structures on existing piers in commercial areas.
“Last July, the State of Maryland passed regulations for building structures on existing piers … this is enabling legislation,” Margotta said.
According to Margotta, State Senate Bill 524/House Bill 800 passed in July allows for structures to be built on existing piers in commercial areas.
The bills enable individual communities to decide if they wish to permit structures on existing piers in commercial areas, and the Mayor and City Council would needed decide if they want to incorporate SB 524/HB 800 text into the Town of Ocean City Critical Area Code in order to permit certain structures on existing piers.
Margotta furthered, staff review of the proposed revisions determined that incorporating the SB 524/HB 800 language into only the Critical Area Code is necessary. All other applicable codes, such as Building, Fire Safety, Zoning, etc., already have the proper provisions should the town decide to allow structures on piers.
Mayor Rick Meehan asked how many requests the city has received to build a structure on an existing commercial pier. Margotta responded one, 701 S. Philadelphia Ave., which has already worked with a designer to come up with a proposal, and has submitted an application for a permit but the city would first have to amend its ordinance to allow for a structure to be built on the existing commercial pier.
“I have thought a lot about this … just because we are allowed to do it doesn’t mean we have to, and I am just not sure it is something we want to move forward with at this time,” the mayor said. “I don’t see a lot of applications for it, and I discussed with Matt [Margotta] if we do it to make it a Conditional Use because I do see some areas where these piers are close to residential areas.”
Councilwoman Margaret Pillas agreed with the mayor.
“I don’t think this is a place where we want to go,” she said. “There is enough structures in town to have to make an ordinance to go down this road. Maybe when people get more serious about this.”
The council agreed with Pillas and Meehan and decided against adding it to the city code.