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Dear Ocean City 2050 Supporters, We wanted to share a brief summary of this week’s developments in Ocean City—news on topics we have been closely following that, taken together, reflect a constructive moment for residents who care about the city’s long-term future. First, some encouraging news from the Ocean City Sentinel: Council President Terry Crowley and Councilman Dave Winslow were both quoted as saying “they would not want to vote on the rehab designation until the Subcommittee finishes its work.” If they stick to their guns, this is great news. As you may recall, the Planning Board previously declined to recommend the Rehab designation. We believe the Council should do the same, as the Planning Board got it right. We agree it is also crucial for City Council to wait for the Subcommittee to complete its work before making any decisions on the future of 600 Boardwalk. This ensures any decision is fully informed and also respects the effort being put in by the volunteer citizens on the Subcommittee. Mr. Winslow said that the Subcommittee is currently scheduled to wrap up its work in the May timeframe. He viewed the effort as comprehensive and complex — dealing with the entire Boardwalk — and was very encouraged by the results to date. The first public meeting with the Subcommittee is scheduled for Saturday, February 7 at 10AM at the OC Public Library, where they will share the factual findings they have assembled. Please come out if you are in town. In the sour grapes category, a recent PhillyVoice article featured Councilman Pete Madden taking a swipe at the Boardwalk Subcommittee, dismissing it as an “ad-hoc committee” with no real authority and suggesting its work merely kicks the can down the road. He also likened the Planning Board’s decision to asking your lawyer for advice—and then not following it. Aside from the silliness of his remark (what rational person would routinely ignore their lawyer’s advice?), we found his remarks dismissive of his fellow Council members, particularly Councilmen Dave Winslow, Jody Levchuk, and Sean Barnes, who are doing the hard, unglamorous work of grappling with complex Boardwalk issues. By all accounts, the Subcommittee is engaged, substantive, and making real progress. Mr. Madden should support them, not disparage them. On another note, Developer Eustace Mita continued to rip pages from his Deadline of the Week calendar, now mentioning a supposed 30-day deadline for some decision on a rehabilitation declaration, his numerous other deadlines scattered at his feet, unfulfilled. (Wait…did he mention a wolf?) In setting his latest deadline, he claims the rehab designation is necessary for him to build a high-rise hotel. He can’t build without it, he says, but he never explains why. It’s not. This is a straightforward zoning and planning decision, and his proposal can be approved, modified, or rejected using traditional city planning tools. No special treatment is necessary. The Subcommittee and Master Plan will provide that guidance. The next City Council meeting is this coming Thursday, January 22. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will let you know if your voices are needed. And we know this issue remains divisive in town. We at Ocean City 2050 remain committed to a process that brings the town together — not splits it apart — and to a well-structured compromise that drives the city forward. We would welcome hearing any compromises from Mr. Mita that might achieve this objective. In additional good news on a different topic we are following, the Planning Board deferred action on an application seeking an unusually broad set of variances for a proposed condominium project on the former garden store site at 34th Street and West Avenue. The Board pushed back on the scope of the request and instructed the architect and developer to return with a revised design—an encouraging reminder that process, standards, and scrutiny still matter. Kudos to the 34th Street residents who pushed back eloquently and rationally. In the often up-and-down world of Ocean City politics, this was a good week. Council and the Planning Board responded to residents who do not oppose change or progress, but who insist that it be fact-driven, rule-based, and oriented toward outcomes that serve the long-term interests of the city—not just the short-term interests of any single person. Thank you, as always, for your continued engagement and support. Best regards, Jim Kelly and Bill Merritt
Ocean City 2050
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