OCEAN CITY — A longtime bank branch in north Ocean City could be repurposed as a juice bar after resort planners this week approved a site plan for the proposed project.
The Planning and Zoning Commission had before them on Tuesday a site plan approval request that could ultimately result in the transformation of a former Bank of Ocean City branch building on Edward Taylor Road at roughly 120th Street and Coastal Highway to a new OC Juice Bars location. Zoning Administrator Frank Hall explained the applicants want to change the use of the existing bank building into a second location for their popular business in the resort.
“They want to change the bank to a second location for their business,” he said. “It’s a relatively simple one because they aren’t changing the building’s footprint or making any other substantive changes.”
Hall said one significant change is closing off the bank’s existing drive-through area and creating an open-air area with picnic tables and landscaping to the business’s patrons.
“One interesting thing is the drive-through will be closed off and the former entrance to the property along Georgia Avenue will be closed off,” he said. “They want to have a picnic table area back there with some landscaping and a fence to screen the neighboring residential properties.”
Business owner and applicant Paul Carlotta further explained the intent for the open area adjacent to the business.
“We want to create some green, open space,” he said. “There is an incredible amount of foot traffic through that area. We want to put in trees and landscaping and picnic tables for our customers and create a nice open area to enjoy.”
The commission was generally receptive to the proposed site plan for the project, but questioned if there was opportunities in the plan’s final layout. They suggested exploring the possibility of inter-parcel connectors to direct the flow of traffic to the site to other adjacent commercial properties. Planning Commissioner Peck Miller also asked if the best options for ingress and egress had been thoroughly vetted.
“It’s always on our minds when we see new projects to get people out on the side streets and off of Coastal Highway where possible,” he said. “We’ve been trying to do that for the last 10 years. I like everything about this project but the ingress-egress plan.”
After considerable debate, the commission approved the site plan by a vote of 6-0 with Planning Commission Chair Pam Buckley absent.
