No matter what happens with the appeal effort planned, Ocean City will lose in the court of public opinion regarding the white building on the east side of the Boardwalk near South Division Street.
That’s largely because Ocean City has not made it clear why it wants to take over ownership and operation of the property. It may in fact own it, according to an easement that dates back decades, but the reason for wanting to take over active ownership of it now has not been clearly stated.
Instead, Ocean City is in the role of the bully, giving the Rapoport family until the end of October to boot Dumser’s Dairyland, the property tenant, and demolish the building by year’s end. It’s an odd order and ultimatum from the city, particularly when it came to light there’s no public safety concerns and in fact no immediate intentions for the property.
“The Town has yet to decide how to move forward with the property,” said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan in a statement last week. “Dumser’s future in this location could be part of that discussion, yet due to pending litigation, that discussion is on hold. After many years, the Town now has the opportunity to manage and maintain this location in a way that will ensure fair return and the best interest for our taxpayers.”
The city maintains property owners are not receiving the maximum benefit from the Rapoport family for this prime piece of “Atlantic Avenue” land. That may be the case but it would have been a much better public relations play to inform the so-called beneficiaries of the recent court verdict what exact the city will do with the land once the building has been demolished should the verdict’s appeal fail.
Does the city intend on building a new structure and becoming a landlord? How long will that take to be profitable after the associated building expenses? Is the property planned for a transit or emergency services use? How will town coffers benefit from a change in use? Is there a chance Dumser’s most popular Boardwalk shop can stay in place if the city takes over the property?
We don’t know all the answers, but the owners of Dumser’s made it clear this week there’s no chance Dumser’s will stay on that site and pay the city rent should the appeal fail.
“A lot of hard work has been put into this small store by Mr. Nathan first and then by Dumser’s,” said a statement from the Timmons family, owner of Dumser’s. “We do very well there as you can see by the lines of customers, but it didn’t happen overnight. We feel very blessed to have such a following. For the city to just step in and take over is not fair. My family and I have decided that it would be morally wrong to turn our backs to the very family that have supported us for all these years… I want to make it clear that there is no circumstance under which we will ever be a tenant of the city. We stand firmly with the Rapoport family. It would be with great regret for us to give up this location since it has become so special to us, but if the appeal is lost, we will.”
That assertion, supported by about 9,000 people online calling for Ocean City to not require the property be vacated and to leave it as is, highlights the poor taste left by the city’s actions. At the very least, if the city wins the appeal and forces the property to be vacated, a clear plan needs to be articulated as to what the city plans to do with it. To do otherwise would support the belief that the city is being an irrational bully.
