OC Today-Dispaatch JULY 19, 2024
STUBBORNLY LOCAL, EQUALLY INDEPENDENT
Sign up now for our new, Monday-Friday newsletter. — Page 12
PRICELESS
13-day trial scheduled for Mailloux next March With appeals over, the case of Tyler Mailloux, who is accused in the 2022 hitand-run death of 14-yearold Gavin Knupp, will proceed in circuit court with a November motions hearing and trial in March. — Page 16
PHOTO COURTESY OCYACHTSHOTS.COM
CARRYOUT An osprey prepares for lift-off after landing a nice snapper blue for lunch in the bay behind Ocean City. Ospreys are good anglers, with a success rate as high as 70%, according to multiple studies.
Child abuse plea deal indicts school A former local high school teacher pleads guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from a sexual relationship he had with a student more than 30 years ago. The parties also accused school administration of playing a part in the underage abuse. — Page 20
Henry Hotel gets grant for rehab As the attempt to restore the historic Ocean City building continues, additional financial help is on the way via a $100,000 Maryland Heritage grant. — Page 13
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JULY 19, 2024
OC Today-Dispatch
MON.-THURS. 3-6PM
7.19 Joe Esham 1-4pm True Country 6-9pm 7.20 Rymac 1-4pm 7.21 Jason Lee 1-4pm 7.22 Steve Bowers 1-4pm 7.23 Troy Mawyer 6-9pm 7.24 Jon Phesant 6-9pm 7.25 Kasey Briggs 4-7pm
JULY 19, 2024
OC Today-Dispatch
PAGE 3
Workforce housing project eyed for Plim Plaza property Applicant to utilize revised zoning code to request conditional use approval By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (July 19, 2024) It appears the first workforce housing project to take advantage of recent code amendments will soon come before the Ocean City Planning Commission for a conditional use approval. In an effort to address a shortage of workforce housing in Ocean City, the Mayor and Council last year amended the town’s zoning code to allow for non-accessory workforce housing, or employee living quarters located offsite. With that change, however, came new restrictions based on the size of the workforce housing project. Simply put, tier one projects are those with 16 or fewer residents, while tier two projects are those with 17 to 60 residents and tier three projects are those with more than 60 residents. The amendment also set restrictions for zoning districts. Employee housing would be prohibited in the MH and R1 districts. In the R-2 and R-2a districts, tier one projects would be permitted, tier two projects would be allowed by conditional use and tier three projects would be prohibited. In the R-3 district, tier one projects would be permitted and tier two and tier three projects would be allowed by conditional use. And in all other districts, tier one and tier two projects would be permitted and tier three projects would be allowed by conditional use. Since the code amendment was adopted last July, the town had received no applications for workforce housing projects. However, attorney Joe Moore told the commission this
week that his client, Plim Plaza LLC had recently submitted an application to take advantage of the code previsions permitted by conditional use in the B-1 boardwalk commercial zoning district. “We made an application for the first new tier three employee housing under the code as it’s been revised,” he said. While the applicant was expected to come before the planning commission Tuesday with a conditional use request, Moore said his client was seeking a postponement of the public hearing. He said the additional time was needed to find a solution to the project’s parking requirement. “So the code provisions would require us to take away guest parking and dedicate it, deed restrict it, for employees, and we would like to have a discussion because we do have a plan that would take care of those employees, if any, who had an automobile,” he told the commission. “As you know, the Harrison Group has off-site parking, but that is utilized in many respects for our guests. We were concerned that if we went to the formal hearing tonight, put forward our proposal and you all did not agree with it, then we would be denied and we would be prohibited from coming back asking for employee housing for 73 Harrison Group employees … So it’s for that reason we’re asking for the postponement.” Moore, however, said he would be back before the commission at a future meeting. “We’ll come back at your convenience, and that of staff, to discuss what our proposals would be and see whether it would accommodate what you all would believe you could do,” he said.
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