OCEAN CITY – A handful of significant projects in the resort area last week got a fiscal shot in the arm from the state as Gov. Larry Hogan announced $72 million in new community development and economic growth projects.
Last Friday, Hogan announced $72 million in new funding for 224 projects and activities around the state aimed at community revitalization and economic development. Among the projects included on the lengthy list of recipients were several in Worcester County and Ocean City.
For example, the Town of Ocean City will receive, pending approval by the state’s Board of Public Works, $250,000 for the second phase of the renovation of the historic Bank of Ocean City building on Dorchester Street downtown that is in the process of being repurposed as an annex for the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum.
In addition, the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCPD) will receive $250,000 for its proposed multi-use facility at Somerset Street, which will include Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) functions, OCPD bicycle storage and other amenities on the first floor and seasonal housing for Town of Ocean City employees on the second floor. In addition, the OCDC will receive an additional $50,000 for its continued façade program in the downtown area.
Hogan said projects such as those included in the $72 million grant are made possible through partnerships with local governments, nonprofit organizations and the private sector.
“The partnerships that drive these projects across our state are critical to spurring economic growth in Maryland’s diverse and vibrant communities,” he said. “Our state revitalization programs are a shining example of how we can work together to create impactful change and improve the quality of life for residents.”
For years, the OCDC has been piecemeal acquiring properties in the downtown area known as the model block. The proposed mixed-use project at Somerset, which will be a recipient of the governor’s funding initiative announced last week, would include new storage for the OCPD bicycle patrol, an improved private bus stop, public restrooms and other amenities and at least 25 beds of seasonal housing for use by the OCPD and other seasonal town employees.
The OCDC pitched the idea of the Somerset Street project to the Mayor and Council last spring and the elected officials voted to provide $25,000 in what is essentially seed money for the project.
That funding allowed the OCDC to move forward with the next step in the process including design and planning and the drafting of a memorandum of understanding with the town.
The overall cost estimate for the project was around $2.4 million, which could include a $1.4 million contribution from the town and a $1 million contribution from the OCDC, through its share of the Inlet parking lot revenue. Through a long-established formula, the OCDC receives a portion of the Inlet parking lot revenue dedicated for redevelopment and revitalization projects in the downtown area, and the proposed Somerset Street project meets the criteria.
Another project listed among the recipients of the governor’s $72 million grant is the continued renovation of the historic Bank of Ocean City building at Dorchester Street. In December 2019, the Bank of Ocean City closed its downtown branch, which housed bank operations for over a century in a historic building on Dorchester Street.
Rather than have the building sit idle, the Bank of Ocean City generously donated it to the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum, which is experiencing growing pains and desperately needed more space. The original museum at the foot of the Boardwalk is in the process of going through its own renovation and expansion, including a small addition that will add an elevator to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Bank of Ocean City building at Dorchester Street would be an annex of sorts and would be used to store artifacts and create additional space for the main museum on the Boardwalk. The building located at Dorchester Street and Baltimore Avenue will ultimately house storage, office space and exhibit space for the museum.
Finally, also included in the grant funding announced by the governor last Friday was $50,000 for OCDC’s highly successful façade program. Through the program, the OCDC provides funding and technical support to property owners or tenants seeking to renovate or restore aging or dilapidated building facades in the downtown area.
For years, the OCDC has been receiving state funding to help support the façade program with considerable success, and this year is no different.
Since the inception of the program, the OCDC has helped renovated and revitalize the facades of hundreds of buildings in the downtown area, resulting in millions of dollars of reinvestment from the private sector.
