Site Plan Extended For New Hyatt Project In Ocean City; 18 Months From Now To Break Ground Called ‘Ambitious’

Site Plan Extended For New Hyatt Project In Ocean City; 18 Months From Now To Break Ground Called ‘Ambitious’
2014083 Hyatt East West Perspective

OCEAN CITY — The long-term future of one of the oldest motels on the north end of the Boardwalk remains in question this week after resort planners extended the site plan approval for another 18 months for the proposed Hyatt Place Hotel complex at 16th Street.

The Seascape Motel on the Boardwalk at 16th Street, along with the Tavern by the Sea beneath it, have faced the potential wrecking ball for the last two years as plans for a new 170-room Hyatt Place Hotel and associated amenities have plodded forward. On Tuesday, the Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission extended the site plan it approved in December 2014 at the request of the property owner. Attorney Hugh Cropper, representing the property owner, requested the 18-month extension for the new Hyatt at 16th Street and the planning commission obliged.

“It doesn’t seem like 18 months, but he we are back in front of you again,” said Cropper. “We’re asking for an additional 18 months for the site plan approval. My clients are diligently pursuing the financing and nothing has changed since this was first approved.”

Cropper said it was uncertain when the new Hyatt would actually be built, but said it most likely would not be within the next year or so.

“We’re asking for an additional 18 months for the site plan approval,” he said. “We’d like to break ground at that point, but that might be a little ambitious.”

Because of the size and scope of the project, resort planners were willing to accommodate the site plan extension.

“It’s a great project and we want it to be right,” said Planning Commission member Joel Brous. “I have no problem with extending this.”

The Seascape dates back to the 1950s and is one of the oldest motels in that area of the Boardwalk. It will eventually be replaced with a 105-guestroom Hyatt Place Hotel with four employee housing units, a conference area, associated retail areas and a restaurant. On the opposite side of Baltimore Avenue will be another building with 65 guestrooms and a restaurant.

The project will be built under the town code’s “height by right” clause, which allows the number of stories to be determined by square footage. The Seascape property includes up to 70,000 square feet, which allows for an eight-story building, or roughly 80 feet in height.

The property is also grandfathered into the town’s code and enjoys the right of nonconformity when it comes to density and parking requirements. As proposed, the project would provide around 113 parking spaces, which is around 70 fewer than required without the nonconformity allowance, but resort planners worked out the parking issue with the developer when they first approved the site plan.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

Alternative Text

Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.