County Agrees Mistake Made, OKs WOC Rezoning To Commercial

SNOW HILL – A Golf Course Road property is set to be rezoned commercial following approval by the Worcester County Commissioners this week.

On Tuesday, the commissioners voted to approve a change in zoning for 3.45 acres near the intersection of Golf Course Road and Sunset Avenue. The undeveloped property, which has been zoned residential since 2009, will be reclassified as C-2 commercial.

“Commercial zoning here is smart growth,” said Hugh Cropper, the attorney representing the property owner.

Cropper told the commissioners that the property’s residential zoning was the result of a mistake, rather than a change in neighborhood, and that reclassifying it would not set a precedent for other properties. The property, owned by GCR Development LLC, was zoned industrial in the 1960s because of its proximity to the West Ocean City Harbor. Like neighboring properties, it was given a B-2 (general business) designation in 1992.

In 2009, however, the property was rezoned to R-3, or multi-family residential. Cropper said that only occurred because the 3.45 acres was mistakenly combined with an adjoining property.

“If there’s ever been a piece of property where there was an actual mistake this is it,” he said.

Cropper added that the rezoning was consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan and that neighboring properties featured commercial uses.

“It’s connected and relevant to the harbor,” he said.

Traffic engineer Betty Tustin said the property would generate roughly the same amount of traffic whether it was C-2 or R-3. She said that if it was developed residentially there would be a significant amount of new trips as people left their homes and returned each day. A commercial use, however, would mean more “pass by” trips — people would stop there as they were on their way to neighboring establishments.

Cropper stressed that because of the property’s nearness to the harbor and neighboring restaurants, a commercial use made sense.

“Commercial zoning here is smart growth,” he said. “It should be part of the revitalization, the renaissance of the West Ocean City harbor.”

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the change.