OCEAN CITY — The future of a first-year north-end water taxi service looks bright after resort planners this week glowingly applauded its first year in operation.
Last spring, amid some opposition from neighboring property owners, the Mayor and Council approved a conditional use request allowing for a water taxi service based at a canal adjacent to the Food Lion shopping center near 118th Street. The approval came after a spirited public hearing during which several neighbors in the surrounding residential communities expressed concern about the potential boat traffic on their otherwise serene canals, excessive noise, rowdy revelers leaving and returning at all hours and other general quality of life issues.
The council ultimately approved the conditional use request allowing the north-end water taxi service with several conditions attached including limits to drop-off and pick-up times, sound amplification and others. The conditional use was approved for two years with the caveat the Bay Hopper representatives make a mid-summer and end-of-summer report on any and all issues and complaints heard or reported.
Stephen Butz, one of Bay Hopper’s principal owners and captains, made the end-of-year presentation to the Ocean City Planning Commission on Tuesday. Butz said there were three complaints all summer and each of them had been resolved quickly. Otherwise, the positive responses outweighed the negatives by a large margin.
One condition of the approval last spring was the service was limited to drop-offs and pick-ups only on private property and not at public city-owned facilities. Butz said one of the three complaints came even before Bay Hopper was officially open for business.
“It was before Memorial Day before we really even opened for business,” he said. “We volunteered to give rides to a fundraiser at the Art League and went into the canal there a couple of times to drop people off and some people took exception to that. It was a case of the road to hell being paved with good intentions.”
In another of the three total complaints, a resident in the area reported the Bay Hopper shuttle was traveling at an excessive speed in the canal, but that turned out to be false because the shuttle was traveling behind a stand-up paddleboarder. Another complaint was made regarding the excessive noise about the metal chain on the gate at the company’s facility, but staffers quickly went out and replaced the chain with a rope to prevent any further inconvenience.
“That is it,” he said. “That is the extent of what we heard complaint-wise.”
By contrast, Bay Hopper’s end-of-year presentation to the planning commission on Tuesday included pages of positive reviews from users of the service and even many neighbors, many of whom strongly opposed the operation last spring.
“What we have heard loudly from our canal neighbors throughout the summer is that they love us, appreciate us cleaning up the canal on every trip and even that they are sorry for ever opposing us,” he said. “We have heard from two new homeowners that their decision to buy nearby was influenced by the proximity of our business and the perception that they will be able to get around town without driving.”
Perhaps the biggest turnaround from the controversial public hearings last spring came from those most strongly opposed.
“Maybe most importantly, we have had our staunchest opponents come by our headquarters and literally apologize for their opposition and commend us on how professionally we have run the business,” he said.
All in all, the numbers for the first summer season appear strong. Bay Hopper carried 4,000 people in the first year and ran more than 1,100 trips. Butz said the company was pleased with the first year and looked to improve next summer.
“The viability is still up in the air,” he said. “We had a good first year, but we could do better. We heard people say ‘see you next year,’ and ‘we’re glad we found you,’ so we know the potential to grow is there.”
At this time, Bay Hopper is limited to docking only at private commercial properties, but Butz said opening up drop-off points at city-owned docks could be beneficial for both parties.
“Frankly, it’s going to be important in the future to have some access to public docks,” he said. “We think it’s a good idea not only for the business, but for the city. We’ve had people ask us to take them up to Northside Park for events or to the convention center, but we stayed away from city property.”
Planning Commissioner Peck Miller agreed.
“I think that would be a good idea,” he said. “I think taking people to the convention center would be great. The point of this is to provide a safe and alternative means of travel in Ocean City.”
Tuesday’s presentation was only a condition on a renewal for a second year next summer, but Butz said the company could ask for a longer extension in the future. The planning commission appeared poised to recommend a five-year extension right then and there, but Butz said the company was content with just the second year for now.
Miller made a motion to forward a favorable recommendation for the second year and left the door open for a further extension in the future.
“We’re happy with your first year and look forward to seeing it in Ocean City for years to come,” he said. “I think we should recommend a longer period for the conditional use. This has proven to be an asset. I also encourage the city to expand areas where they can drop off.”
