OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council worked their way through several business items during Monday evening’s regular session, including final approval of new flood insurance rate maps, preliminary approval of designated smoking areas in Northside Park and the application of state funding to support Ocean City Development Corporation’s efforts.
New Flood Insurance Rate Maps Adopted
According to City Engineer Terry McGean, FEMA has notified the City that the proposed Flood Insurance Study for Ocean City has been completed, all public comments have been addressed and the appeal process for the proposed new Flood Insurance Rate Maps has ended. The new maps will become effective on July 16 once the Mayor and City Council gives final approval.
Changes to the maps impact the city’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, and by association, the town’s building code. The flood maps, which had not been updated since 1986, had most oceanfront properties in the V zone, which had the highest risk and, therefore, the highest flood insurance rates. However, the new FEMA maps take most oceanfront properties out of the V zone.
In fact, all oceanfront properties south of 143rd Street are no longer in the most onerous V zone. However, some at-risk bayside properties will likely see their rates increase.
This is largely due to the ongoing beach replenishment, the creation of the dune system, the construction of the sea wall along the Boardwalk and the towns own stringent building codes on elevation.
Although the state was pleased with the town’s proposed revisions, FEMA and the state mandated numerous additional provisions that communities must include in their flood plain ordinance in order to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program, such as due to recent changes in Federal Policy, FEMA would not approve the ordinance unless the automatic variance for accessory structures is limited to 300 square feet, which the Mayor and City Council complied with.
This week City Solicitor Guy Ayres notified the Mayor and City Council FEMA has approved the ordinance and residents will be able to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Subsequently, the Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to approve the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps and associated code changes.
Preliminary Approval Of Park Designated Smoking
In April, Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito brought to the Recreation and Parks Commission’s attention a discrepancy between the Town of Ocean City’s smoking regulations in parks passed in 2011 and the law that was amended this year when the Mayor and Council implemented designated smoking regulations on the beach and Boardwalk.
The original ordinance specifically identified town parks with playgrounds as no smoking areas, which staff was able to monitor and enforce. However, the amendment to the town’s smoking laws in March removed the specification of playgrounds essentially banning smoking from all public parks and making it more difficult to enforce.
According to Petito, during softball tournaments complaints were received over the smoking ban at Northside Park.
After a few months’ worth of discussions the commission was in consensus to ban smoking from city parks except for Northside Park that will have designated smoking areas like on the beach mainly due to the parks larger size and the activities that take place there.
The ordinance before the Mayor and City Council on Monday in first reading states, “Smoking and vaping is unlawful in all public parks except Northside Park, where smoking and vaping is unlawful except within 15 feet of a designated smoking area.”
The Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance. The designated areas will be formally adopted by resolution at the July 20 regular session.
Legacy Grant Application
A resolution came before the Mayor and City Council to support Ocean City Development Corporation’s (OCDC) application requesting Community Legacy grant funds.
According to City Clerk Diana Chavis, OCDC is seeking grant funding from the State’s Community Legacy Program for two revitalization projects; the OCDC Façade Improvement Program and OCDC Green Building Initiatives Program.
The OCDC is requesting the Town of Ocean City to approve this resolution that requests $100,000, half of which will go towards OCDC Façade Improvement Program for buildings between the Inlet and 17th Street in the designated Sustainable Communities Area, and the other half going towards OCDC Green Building Initiatives Program also in the Sustainable Communities Area.
According to OCDC, to date, over $5.3 million of private monies have been expended to improve older building in downtown Ocean City, and 165 downtown buildings have been renovated using OCDC Facade Improvement Program that was implemented in 2003. The program has received several awards including its most recent 2015 Maryland Sustainable Growth Award from the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission.
The OCDC Green Building Program allows energy efficient products such as Energy Star rated windows, doors and “cool roofs” to be made part of the overall improvements. To date 30 projects have been completed in the downtown area.
Each year Community Legacy Program funding is very competitive. This year the Community Legacy program has $6 million available, but the pool of applicants is expected to be very large.
However, the OCDC believes these two requests are all good projects and will yield a high leveraging of State dollars, which the State likes to see in its applications.
The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution supporting OCDC’s application for Community Legacy grant funding.
State Funds Sought
Up next was a resolution for the Mayor and City Council to support OCDC’s application request for Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact grant funds.
According to Chavis, OCDC is seeking funding from the State’s Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact fund to demolish the Royalton Hotel located at 1101 Atlantic Ave. for a new mixed-use redevelopment project in the amount of $475,000.
According to OCDC, four years ago the owners of the Royalton Hotel undertook a much needed renovation of the older building that was constructed in 1930. During this renovation, it was discovered significant structure damage to the hotel. The hotel owners have been able to remedy this damage on a year-to-year basis. However, the long-term business approach was to rebuild the hotel, and that time has come.
The existing property contains 38 hotel units, six apartments, and 2,400 square feet of retail space divided by three stores. The proposed hotel will consist of 50 hotel rooms, seven employee housing units, and 2,400 square feet of retail space divided by three stores.
The State of Maryland’s Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact Fund has been in existence for four years and is expected to be a very competitive funding process. This year the program has $7.5 million available, but the pool of applicants is expected to be very large.
However, the OCDC believes the Royalton Hotel mixed use project is a worthwhile project and will yield a high leveraging of state dollars, which the state likes to see in its applications. The inclusion of new employee housing into this project will be very well received.
The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution supporting OCDC’s application for Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact grant funds.
OCDC received $90,000 of this funding for the demolition/predevelopment costs for the Fat Daddy’s mixed use project at 216 S. Baltimore Ave in 2012 and $200,000 for demolition costs for the Model Block project last year.