FENWICK ISLAND – Officials in Fenwick Island are looking to amend commercial parking requirements, but owners of one business argue those changes could impede on their efforts to accommodate more vehicles.
Currently, the town requires commercial parking spaces to be located on the same lot as commercial structures.
Late last month, however, the Fenwick Island Town Council approved the first reading of an amendment that would fine tune parking requirements in the municipality’s commercial zone.
According to the amendment, parking will be allowed on commercial lots, but only those with permanent structures, working utilities and one or more bathrooms that are available to employees, customers or clients during business hours.
Bill Weistling, chair of the town’s Charter and Ordinance Committee, said the amendment is expected to expand upon and improve the town’s existing ordinance.
“For years parking had only been allowed on commercial lots that have structures on them,” he said. “What we are doing now is trying to beef that up and improve the wording so that it reflects what our attorney thinks is the best way to proceed.”
Weistling said town solicitor Mary Schrider-Fox had advised that the town amend the ordinance.
“Mary reviewed the wording and thought our current ordinance was vague,” he said. “She suggested we reword the ordinance to be more specific on defining buildings and structures.”
Co-owners of a nearby business, however, disagreed with the proposed amendment.
Marc McFaul and Chris Reda, co-owners of Big Eye Jacks by Ropewalk, argued the change would affect parking for their establishment. The business had recently purchased vacant commercial property at 707 Coastal Highway with the intent to use the lot for additional parking.
Reda said spending the money to build a structure and bathroom for a few additional parking spaces was “goofy.”
“We are trying to find a solution that is beneficial,” he said.
In a separate interview, McFaul stated that he and his business partners had worked with the town for several years to accommodate vehicles on or near the restaurant’s lot. Originally, the owners rented parking space in a lot where the Bank of Ocean City now stands. In recent years, however, the restaurant has rented space at a furniture store across from Fenwick Island Town Hall.
“From the beginning we were busy and had parking issues,” he said.
To find a closer, and more permanent, solution McFaul said he and his business partners have purchased a lot at 707 Coastal Highway.
The property, he noted, would provide Big Eye Jacks an additional 12 to 15 parking spots, but the area needed to build a structure that would meet the town’s new requirements would require additional space and money.
“We paid $100,000 for this piece of land and now we aren’t going to be able to use it,” he said.
At the meeting, Weistling said the other option would be to amend the zoning code to allow parking on vacant commercial lots.
“The only other option would be to possibly allow parking on a vacant commercial lot,” he said. “But that’s a separate topic.”
A public hearing on the amendment will be held at Fenwick Island Town Hall on Feb. 23. McFaul said he and his business partners plan to attend.
“Sometimes it feels like we are the enemy,” he said. “I feel like we have nothing to lose.”
