OCEAN CITY — While what will likely be a lengthy appeal, it will remain business as usual at an iconic building on the east side of the Boardwalk currently home to a Dumser’s Dairyland ice cream parlor at least until the legal battle over its ownership runs its course.
Ownership of the historic building was called into question last year after a 50-year agreement expired between the town of Ocean City and the heirs of the original owner, Nathan Rapoport, who built the first structure on the site in 1905. After a trial last April, a Worcester County Circuit Court judge issued an opinion essentially ruling in favor of the town of Ocean City. As a result, the Rapoport heirs, now Nathans Associates, were enjoined from any of use of the property after October 31 and would be required to remove or demolish the building before the end of this year.
Nathans Associates have since appealed the Worcester County Circuit Court ruling and that appeal is now making its way through what will likely be a lengthy legal process. In the interim, Nathans Associates late last month filed a motion to stay the enforcement of the Circuit Court’s ruling regarding the deadlines for vacating the premises and ultimately removing or demolishing the structure. That motion was denied, however, Mayor Rick Meehan on Friday issued a statement assuring Nathans Associates, and the public which has become so emotionally attached to the building, that the town will not enforce any of the deadlines imposed by the Circuit Court Judge until the appeals process runs its course.
“We understand there has been a lot of public discussion about the fate of the property that sits on South Atlantic Avenue and is currently home to one of Dumser’s Dairyland Boardwalk locations,” the statement reads. “Although this is a complicated legal matter, we would like to clarify our position on the current appeal.”
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10 comments:
If OC forces them out, we will never set foot in OC again. West OC will be as close to OC as we will spend money.
I suggest the OC council suddenly realized the hornet's nest they have opened. Some things are better left alone..
Nice s-l-o-w death, to be completed during the "off-season" when no one is really looking. Lots of CYA going on....again!
Has anyone ever told us WHY they want that building or location? If I owned a property with a long-term lessee, I would want to keep them there.
So, what is the end goal here?
If the city of O.C. did not maintain the building in accordance with the stated grant, they did in fact abandon it.. That's how I SEE IT.
@ 11:43am
1. The town of Ocean City does NOT own the building.
2. The town of Ocean City did NOT build the building.
3. The town of Ocean City can NEVER rebuild ANY building on that property if Dumsers decides to tear it down if forced to double pay Ocean City for O.C. rent and O.C. taxation.
The family that has always owned the land simply failed to get a proper deed throughout their decades of ownership and has paid taxes on the property since the beginning. The elderly lady that the "boys in the back room" including the O.C. judge and Meehan thought that they could get over on, instead she stood up with Dumsers president and took them to a real unbiased court in Maryland who will decide it's final fate. Meehan's back door silent crooked deal has received so much flack that today he's backing water as fast as possible. What the "greedy back room boys" thought that they could get away with was not just wrong but illegal as the upcoming decision should prove? Any failure by that court will see the building leveled within short order. Dumsers will NEVER pay Ocean City Maryland a cent of rent in a landlord/tenant situation! The building will disappear in short order if the Maryland court challenge fails. Back room double dealing Ocean City GREED is the problem, not Dumsers or the elderly lady who actually owns that property.
West OC has lots of nice restaurants and bars with water access! City Hall has lost its focus again. Sad, but when you keep running things like you always have in the past...over and over and over and over again - the outskirts begins to populate. Your revenue has moved to the other side of the bridges or north across state lines or further south in NC/SC.
Your answer - continue to build more and more empty houses/townhouse/condo structures and let the big names come in to build their hotels. That's ok City Hall, keep taking and ticketing the hands that feed you and eventually they will leave too! The legacy you will leave, well there won't be one!
This is one time I agree with the idiot's in silly hall. This is not about Dumsers, it's about who has the rights to the building, including the income. The TAXPAYERS appear to own it, therefore the Council and that simple Mayor have an obligation to represent the TAXPAYERS. God people, it's not about ice cream (available at 5 other stores, or about an old white building. Vote Hillary next time, oh, you probably did.
What does the law allow for "squatters"? Seems this should apply.
Watch, there will be an accidental "fire" started by a discarded "cigarette butt" this winter off season.
Just saying. That seems to be the old school "remodeling" method in that town.
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