OCEAN CITY – Parking in the Second Ward is a problem that has residents demanding relief. But at the Sept. 12 meeting of the City Council, the vote was to table a resolution that spoke to the issue in favor of giving the Planning Board up to 90 days to continue reviewing it.
Second Ward Councilman Keith Hartzell says the parking problem has been exacerbated by the construction of large, multibedroom structures aimed solely at the short-term rental market. The number of bedrooms and the subsequent number of cars pose a challenge to the regulations on off-street parking in the city.
The Second Ward extends from the south side of Fourth Street to the north side of 12th Street. It is among the most densely populated areas of the city.
The resolution that was tabled would not have altered the zoning rules. It was an authorization for the city to apply to the state Site Plan Advisory Board for an exception to state regulations that set a maximum of three off-street parking spaces for structures with five or more bedrooms.
State rules supersede municipal zoning; applying to the state was the process City Attorney Dottie McCrossen recommended.
In the resolution, the city described a proposal that would mandate “that all new construction that has four or more bedrooms require an off-street parking spot for each bedroom.” To enact this parking relief for residents and visitors to the Second Ward, the city was asking the state to approve a special area standard.
At the council meeting there were amendments to the proposal discussed that would change the four-bedroom designation to five and add a definition of a new home to differentiate the proposal from existing structures.
Much of the council discussion was on how this goal of additional off-street parking is to be described so that it is aimed at curtailing the negative impact on parking of short term rental construction in the ward and does not result in many of the other properties in the ward being deemed nonconforming
City Planner Randy Scheule addressed the council before the vote, suggesting the city could also consider designating the types of structures that Hartzell describes as lodging houses, which would then limit them to the ward’s hospitality zone. The suggestion was seen as a potentially useful addition to a broader proposal that deals with properties outside the zone.
Despite Hartzell’s sense of urgency the council reached a consensus to continue Planning Board review. Hartzell said he would expedite the process by working himself to get whatever data or documents the board may need as it considers the issue.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
