Cottage Court Site Plan Approved For Route 611

Cottage Court Site Plan Approved For Route 611
Bluewater Development plans to build cottages like these on Route 611. Rendering from Vista Design.

SNOW HILL– The Worcester County Planning Commission approved a site plan for a rental cottage development in West Ocean City.

Last Thursday, the commission voted 5-0 to approve the site plan for a 52-unit rental cottage development. The project will be located on Route 611.

“This is a cottage court,” Steve Engel of Vista Design said. “It’s 52 units on 4.6 acres.”

Attorney Hugh Cropper told the planning commission Bluewater Development was pursuing development of a cottage court project at 9543 Stephen Decatur Highway. The project, known as Shorepoint Cottage Court, will consist of 52, 390-square-foot cottages and a pool. The 4.6-acre parcel it’s proposed for is currently zoned C-2 general commercial.

Engel said the project would be accessed by Route 611 and would be served by public water and sewer, as EDUs (equivalent dwelling units) have been allocated.

While a rendering provided to the commission shows an array of colorful cottages, Cropper said that was an example.

“What we have done is given you sample type cottages we would like to put there,” he said.

Because the land is zoned commercial, the cottages will have to comply with the International Building Code. Cropper said he was hoping the commission would give staff the authority to approve minor tweaks to the cottages if they were needed to comply with the code.

“If International Building Code causes a window to be little bigger… we’d like you to grant staff authority if they feel comfortable to go ahead and approve that,” he said.

When asked how often the units would be rented, Cropper said they’d be for transient visitors, likely rented by week or weekend. They will probably not be open year-round. He stressed that they’d be built to the same standards as other commercial structures.

“It’s a motel that’s in small units,” he said.

The commission voted 5-0 to approve the site plan.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

Alternative Text

Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.