OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
BIKE WEEK
JOY RIDE Motorcycle enthusiasts have plenty of activities to choose from in and around Ocean City this weekend – Page 41
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Performers on Boardwalk not forgotten issue City looking at contracting outside law firm for review
JOSH DAVIS/OCEAN CITY TODAY
HEAVY METAL THUNDER Pennsylvania natives Thom Kraus and Josie Sabella pose with their 1998 Harley in the parking lot of Hooper’s Crab House, located at the foot of the Route 50 Bridge, during the Bikes to the Beach Fall Rally on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Fate of 61st St. Marriott in limbo Both City Council, Planning and Zoning Comm. weigh in with negative opinions
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Sept. 12, 2014) By the time this paper hits stands, the fate the of the proposed 61st Street Marriott will have already been decided – although as of press time, it wasn’t looking good. The city’s Board of Zoning Appeals was scheduled to meet last night, Thursday, Sept. 11, to hear an application by the property’s developers to permit tandem parking using hydraulic car-stacking lifts. But both City Council and the Plan-
ning and Zoning Commission have already weighed in with generally negative opinions, concerned that allowing the lifts would set a precedent for their proliferation throughout the resort, causing eyesores and safety concerns. “I’m not in favor of seeing these lifts all over town, and that’s what we’re going to have,” said Councilman Joe Mitrecic. However, no one was necessarily against the project as a whole, but rather against the use of car-lifts to skirt the city’s strict parking requirements. “It’s a common sense thing. It’s going to be a good project that’s going to look good coming into Ocean City,” Mitrecic said.
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“I almost think this request is – not out of desperation – but they really want this project done,” said Council Secretary Mary Knight. “There’s got to be a way that we can have this project without the lifts.” Foundation work has already begun on the Marriott at the site of the old OC Health and Racquet Club, situated at the western end of 61st street along Sea Bay Lane, stretching between Route 90 to the north and the Trader’s Cove townhouses to the south. The hotel is slated to contain 150 rooms in eight stories, including the typical amenities such as pools and a gym. The project is being done under the city’s “Special Bayside” development See MARRIOTT Page 9
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Sept. 12, 2014) With the peak season now passed, this summer’s myriad of Boardwalk street performer issues is gone – but not forgotten. Although nothing has yet been said publicly, the city is apparently looking at contracting with an outside law firm to review the town’s current and past ordinances pertaining to the issue, which have taken a beating in recent federal court cases. “What I suggested to the council was that I had some contacts with large law firms in the metro area, and could find out if they do First Amendment work,” City Solicitor Guy Ayres said. Two firms have been interviewed, Ayres said - but the details of their proposals, or if City Council has accepted either deal, are not yet confirmed. However, forward movement of some kind is nearly inevitable, given the volume of complaints from visitors and business owners this past summer over the increasing number of street performers. But given that the city has gone to court three times – and lost three times – on performer regulations, options for control are a very fine legal line. “If the firm has recommendations for some changes or some fine-tuning, they would make those, put it in ordinance form, and the council could vote ‘yay’ or ‘nay,’” Ayres said. Any new legislation could, of course, also result in a suit that would take the town to the mat for the fourth time. But, Ayres said, part of his proposal to the two firms was that they would represent the city in any suit. “If we make changes to the ordinances based on their recommendations, and we end up in court, they’ll See CITY Page 6
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