OCEAN CITY — A decision to close off an alley running north-south between Bering Road and 86th Street was put on hold this week after resort officials could not agree on some aspects of the proposed plan.
For years, there has been a platted alley between Bering Road and 86th Street in the north end of Ocean City that was rather inconsequential because it was rarely if ever used. Now, after some new residential development in the area, the city-owned alley is being used more frequently by residents in the area to access the rear of their properties, and perhaps more importantly as a shortcut for non-residents looking to avoid Coastal Highway.
City Engineer Terry McGean briefed the Mayor and Council on Tuesday on the recent change in use. He said property owners in the area had expressed a desire to purchase the city-owned alley but could not get consensus from all of the residents. He said the alley is used by the residents, but increased use as a thru-street has raised some concerns.
“The north end of the alley was never used, but residents on the south end utilized it to access the rear of the properties,” he said. “Now, non-residents are using it as a cut-through and it’s generating some complaints.”
Short of deeding the alley over to the resident property owners, McGean said there is a plan in place to improve the alley to allow the residents to continue to use it to access their property while eliminating it as a thru-street for non-residents. As it stands now, the south end is covered with gravel and is used by residents in that portion. The north end is unimproved and currently consists of essentially a dusty, sandy trail with two tire ruts that generates dust when non-residents use it for a cut-through.
McGean said the plan, if approved, included improving the entire alley surface with gravel, which would allow property owners to continue to utilize it to access the rear of their properties. The plan also calls for installing bollards or some kind or ornamental landscaped barrier in the center to prevent non-residents from using the alley as an alternative to Coastal Highway.
“The recommendation is improving the entire alley with a gravel surface and blocking free passage from north to south for non-residents,” he said. “In that way, it would still be usable for the residents in the area, but no longer usable as a cut-through.”
Council President Lloyd Martin said he was never in favor of cutting off the town’s north-west alleyways. Councilman Tony DeLuca, an advocate for the town’s growing network of bike paths said the alley could be used for that purpose. After considerable debate, the council voted to table the decision and reach out to the property owners to gauge their opinion on the proposal.
