All the latest from OC 2050

Filing a lawsuit against your own city is not something anyone wants to do. It is expensive, divisive, and time-consuming. So, when it does happen, it is a sign that something has gone seriously wrong.

That is where Ocean City finds itself today.

When Wonderland closed in 2024, we lost a beloved part of our history. But the city also had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ask a simple question: What should the next 50 years of the north end of the boardwalk look like?

Instead, the city focused on a different question: What does one developer want to build?

From that point forward, the process largely revolved around accommodating that proposal.

More than one month since City Council adopted its June 25 resolution declaring the Wonderland site an “Area in Need of Rehabilitation",” official communication from the city has been almost nonexistent.

As a result, the public has to piece together conflicting comments made by the city and developer to the press, and is left to wonder if the city will keep its word and truly seek a compromise, or if it was just a mirage all along.

Three years ago, Ocean City had very few organized citizen advocacy groups. Today we have several — some narrowly focused on a single lot or a single decision, others focused on government process, transparency, and long-term planning. In the opinion of those of us working hard for positive change at Ocean City 2050, this increased involvement at the local level is a very good thing.

To the Editor:

Every Ocean City taxpayer and resident should read what Eustice Mita had to say about those who opposed his luxury hotel. It was published in the July 8 edition of the Sentinel. He speaks of how little he thinks people “contribute” to the community who are not members of the Chamber of Commerce, Asbury Avenue or Boardwalk merchants organizations.

The Boardwalk Subcommittee’s final report deserves credit. While the subcommittee did not provide the level of public engagement it originally promised, the report itself rests on a solid factual foundation—business inventories, hotel and occupancy data, parking and beach tag revenue, comparison communities, and stakeholder input. That's the kind of groundwork that should inform any zoning decision, and the Subcommittee should be thanked for doing this work.

Many of us who care about the future of Ocean City are looking forward to the final report from the Boardwalk Subcommittee, which was charged with evaluating the future of the boardwalk, including the former Wonderland Pier site, and developing recommendations to guide its long-term success. When the report is released, we hope it reflects the principles previously suggested by Ocean City 2050: that any zoning changes are tied directly to meaningful public benefits; that the future of the Wonderland property receives careful and deliberate consideration; and that the subcommittee presents unified recommendations that move us beyond division and toward a shared vision for Ocean City’s future.

It has been some time since the public received an update from the Boardwalk Subcommittee that was formed last year to help chart a path forward for the Ocean City Boardwalk. Councilman and Subcommittee Chairman Dave Winslow promised a robust process and significant public engagement for what is one of the most important planning efforts of our city, its character, and its economic future.

Wonderland was not the only issue on voters’ minds. The public conversation — particularly on social media, which has effectively become the city’s primary communication channel — reflected growing concerns about the overall direction of Ocean City: overdevelopment, parking, congestion and the city’s rising debt burden.