Ocean City to Spend $1 Million for Property Facelift

Blighted property owned by Ocean City will be spruced up with new sod and other cosmetic improvements in time for the summer tourism season.

After a two-week delay to scrutinize the project, City Council on Thursday night approved a $1 million construction contract for the improvements at 16th Street and Haven Avenue, the site of a former car dealership.

Mayor Jay Gillian had proposed giving the run-down property a facelift, but Council insisted on getting more details about the project during its April 24 meeting and tabled the construction contract then for more discussion.

However, Council approved the contract Thursday based on a detailed analysis of the project performed by Councilman Dave Winslow. In his analysis, Winslow concluded that the improvements would benefit the neighborhood by getting rid of the blight.

“I very much appreciate the mayor and the administration’s efforts to address the blighted and eyesore area, as residents shouldn’t endure these unsightly conditions while ongoing inspections take place as to what to do with this property,” Winslow said.

The sprawling property is largely a dirt and asphalt lot bordered by Haven and Simpson avenues between 16th and 17th streets. Its makeover will include new curbs, sidewalks, sod and parking.

The improvements will beautify the site while the city discusses much grander, long-term plans for the land to preserve it as open space for public use.

Council had initially wanted to know from the mayor whether the project would mostly consist of temporary or permanent improvements. The Council members indicated that they did not want the city to spend $1 million on only temporary improvements.

    Councilman Dave Winslow reads from his analysis of the property improvements.
  

In his analysis, Winslow, though, found out that 82 percent of the improvements would be permanent.

“A significant amount of it is going to be permanent improvements,” he said.

New sidewalks, curbs and gutters will be saved for when the city undertakes the property’s permanent revitalization.

The sod would be only temporary. The $1 million contract includes $116,000 worth of new sod, but the most expensive items are the sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

Winslow said the sod would have the benefit of creating new green space that could be used for recreational activities while the city ultimately decides what to do with the land in the long run.

“In the interim, the field can be used for many recreational purposes and meets the overarching call from residents to keep the parcel as open, green space. It would be a shame to let the property sit vacant for many, many more years in the condition it’s in,” he said.

Winslow also noted that the improvements will include a total of 116 additional parking spaces. He said the new spaces will help overcome the parking shortages at the adjacent Ocean City Community Center.

Gillian and Third Ward Councilman Jody Levchuk, who represents the area of 16th Street and Haven Avenue, plan to visit with the neighbors to let them know what is planned.

    Councilman Jody Levchuk holds a rendering of the city's plan to spruce up the property.
  

The property consists of three sites the city acquired from private owners in 2021 through eminent domain, creating a full block of land bordered by Haven and Simpson avenues between 16th and 17th streets, next to the Community Center.

After a lengthy legal fight to decide the value of the property, the city paid $20 million for one site and was ordered by a jury to pay $7.2 million for the two others.

The land will be added to a corridor of open space protected from development. The city plans to dedicate a five-block area from 15th Street to 20th Street to open space and public use.

The property was best known as the former site of the Perry-Egan auto dealership. The city’s main objective in acquiring the land was to stop the site from being densely developed for housing construction.

Next up, the city must decide its long-range plans for the property. Last year, the city solicited ideas from the public on ways to transform the land.

Suggestions from the public varied widely but fell roughly into three categories: open space and passive recreation, including features such as trails, gardens, fountains and amphitheaters; active recreation, including attractions such as an outdoor pool, skating rink, pickleball courts or fields; and practical uses such as additional parking or affordable housing.

    Heavy construction machinery is parked at the site as preparations get underway for the improvements.