Wave Machine Definition Clarified; Amenity Must Be In Amusement District

OCEAN CITY — Simulated wave machines, such as the Flow Rider proposed for a downtown site last year, belong in amusement parks and not just anywhere in town, resort planners opined this week.

Last year, a downtown business owner requested permission to install a wave machine on a vacant lot that was part of the old Cropper concrete plant on the bayside at 1st Street. Satisfied the wave machine fit the definition of a water-related recreational activity, the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) granted a special use exception for the site, but it was never developed.

Instead, the prospective business owner made a pitch to develop the wave machine at the 45thStreet Village site, but that proposal was challenged and the appeal is still active in Worcester County Circuit Court. In the meantime, the Planning and Zoning Commission has been wrestling with a clear definition of the proposed wave machine and similar devices, how they fit into the zoning code and, consequently, where they can be located.

More