The Mayor and Council on Monday approved a request from the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) to seek a state grant to help fund the expense of demolishing a long-vacant building on the corner of 1st Street and Baltimore Ave. The OCDC is seeking a grant totaling nearly $250,000 from the state’s Strategic Demolition-Smart Growth Impact Fund to help the current property owner move forward with a plan to demolish the existing building and replace it with a new facility including retail on the first floor and as many as 48 seasonal housing beds on the top two floors.
The property currently contains first-floor retail space along with apartments on the second and third floors. It has been vacant for over a year and the town of Ocean City has posted a “no occupancy” sign on the property due to its poor condition. The property owner’s engineer has surveyed the building and is now recommending it be demolished due to various structural deficiencies and other code issues.
The requested grant, if approved, would be applied toward the demolition cost, engineering and architectural costs for a new development, permit and impact fees and foundation work. In turn, the property owner would provide the land and construct a new project on the site.
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9 comments:
It should be offered to U.S. citizens first. If there is any space available after that then it should be opened up to foreign workers.
With all the money oc makes why are tazpayers on the hook to demolosh a building thay is privately owned? Is the owner going to repay the grant with his profits? F-ing wow. Must be nice. Any taxpayers want to pay for my bills? Oh nevermind I'm not black, democrat, or whatever it takes to get some help. Just a Trump supporter hoping this country still has a chance. But seeing crap like this doesn't give much hope.
Why stop at 2 residential floors? Why not 3 or 4? Or 12? Sure, you have building codes that probably prohibit height, but how many times have you waived them for gazillion dollar projects?
Local businesses should get in on supporting this. It looks like a great opportunity for a public-private cooperative effort.
Follow da' money...
The Ocean City Development Corporation is a joke. Its a slush fund. Look up all the property owners that have received grants and the list will include some of Ocean City's wealthiest property owners.
Sure why not another freebie to a business owner that will take more and more from taxpayers by offering seasonal/foreign workers to come in and take up space is a "family resort town" to turn around and say no no you can't rent from me I have guaranteed money coming in from Uncle Sam for them workers. When did personal responsibility go out the door for your own property. Oh you didn't have insurance or you blew it all when you got it no problem we won't take it from you for being condemned the city will demo it for you! Hey John Q Citizen, you better not be sleeping in your own car on our streets!!!
Just more welfare for the wealthy. While I struggle to pay a mortgage, some rich jerk gets more than my home's value as a handout to make even more money.
If there were really a "critical" worker or housing shortage, you would see wages going up to attract workers. Better pay can afford higher rents, or convince people to trek into OC with all that traffic every day. Instead, more foreign workers than ever are arriving to keep wages down, while businesses that "can't afford" to pay more open up their 4th seasonal location.
The property owner should be named.
Why in the hell should the taxpayers fund this.
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