OCEAN CITY – In a split vote Monday, the town’s police commission denied a request to remove parking and loading zones along the north side of Upshur Lane for the placement of bike racks.
On Monday, LUX QOZP Properties LLC Principal Mike Ramadan came before the Ocean City Police Commission with a request to replace parking and loading zonings along the north side of Upshur Lane with bike racks. The request ultimately failed in a 2-2 vote.
“As much as I support bike parking, I think it should be contained to the site plan,” said Councilman Peter Buas, commission chair. “But that’s more of a policy point.”
In September, the Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a site plan for the conversion of the former Phillips Crab House property, located at 21st Street. LUX QOZP Properties LLC has plans to convert the old restaurant into multifamily dwelling units, which would likely serve as employee housing.
“It’s not officially J-1 housing, but that’s the intent,” City Manager Terry McGean told the police commission.
As part of that project, required parking would be placed across the street, adjacent to the Islander Motel. Ramadan told commission members Monday he would rather have bike parking along Upshur Lane.
“We’re just trying to make it so they don’t go across the street,” he said. “Our parking lots are actually across the way. I foresee a lot of accidents happening by just crossing the street to get their bikes.”
McGean told commission members that Ramadan had approached him a couple weeks ago with a request to acquire the right-of-way on Upshur Lane. When the town declined that request, Ramadan then approached staff with the idea of removing the parking and loading zones and replacing it with bike racks.
“He asked about the possibility of removing that parking and loading zone, which is no longer needed, and instead installing bike racks for the students,” he explained. “The residents there are much more likely to have bicycles than cars. He would furnish the bike racks, maintain the bike racks.”
When asked for his input, Public Works Director Hal Adkins said he had no objection to Ramadan’s request. However, he did request that the bike racks be removed during the winter.
“My concern is during the winter months, that it would inhibit my snow plowing efforts,” he said. “It would be nice if the bike racks were portable and could be removed from that lane after November 1 of each year for snow removal reasons.”
When asked if any other location in town utilized the public right-of-way for bike racks, Adkins said he was not aware of any. However, he said the addition of bike racks would not impact the street.
“When you look at the traffic flow on Upshur Street itself, it’s not a high-volume road,” he said. “I was more concerned about whether the adjoining property owner, Calvin B. Taylor Bank, would like to at least have advanced notice. But I don’t see how it’s going to affect them either.”
When asked the procedure for removing loading and unloading zones, McGean said it is typically done when a property is redeveloped. In this instance, officials proposed removing the painted curbs and loading signage, delineating the bike rack area with white paint, and adding flex posts.
“My thought would be that the bicycles would park perpendicular to the street,” McGean added. “The parking lane is typically nine feet, so there should be plenty of room to allow for that.”
Buas asked if the bike racks could be placed on the Phillips Square shopping center, to the north of the crab house, Ramadan said he was leasing the property and could not use the shopping center for his housing project.
“I have a 45-year lease on the other property,” he said. “So the land owners would refuse the fact that we are putting bike racks on a property that has nothing to do with the actual property.”
For his part, Mayor Rick Meehan took issue with Ramadan’s comments regarding safety. He said the location of the parking lot for the Phillips property already posed a safety issue.
“Mr. Ramadan’s comment about how it’s dangerous for the bike racks to be on the parking lot on the other side of Coastal Highway, I would certainly suggest that that same concern should apply to the parking that’s been approved across Coastal Highway,” he said. “It doesn’t speak well for the fact that parking for the project is across Coastal Highway, which he already said is a dangerous situation.”
Councilman Frank Knight, however, said he had no objection to Ramadan’s request.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “I drove down the street yesterday, again, and it’s hardly ever traveled. There’s plenty of space in that lane.”
After further discussion, a motion was made to approve Ramadan’s request, but to require that painting and flex posts be added and bike racks be removed during the offseason. The motion also set conditions as it pertains to occupancy permits, ownership and property changes.
With no further discussion, the commission voted 2-2, with Knight and Council President Matt James in favor and Buas and Meehan opposed, and the request failed.
