Council Pauses Corridor Redevelopment Project

BY BETHANY HOOPER STAFF WRITER

OCEAN CITY – With support to pause the Baltimore Avenue redevelopment project, council members this week also agreed to hold off on the first steps of the associated right-of-way abandonment process.

On Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to approve the formal ranking of projects included in the town’s draft capital improvement plan (CIP). While the proposed planning document lists a total of 37 projects ranging from one, critical, to five, for future consideration, a bulk of this week’s discussion centered around a major renovation of the Baltimore Avenue corridor and its placement on the list.

“Before we did the ranking this year, Baltimore Avenue was number one,” Council Secretary Tony DeLuca said. “Now it’s listed as not very important. I’d like to have a discussion on that.”

In recent years, a major renovation of Baltimore Avenue from North Division Street to 15th Street has been on the town’s radar. In addition to widening sidewalks and improving the overall aesthetics of the corridor, the project also includes undergrounding utilities.

Last month, however, the council agreed to split the project in two phases over several years after learning the estimated cost – which would be funded in part by a municipal bond sale and a combination of potential state and federal grants – had more than doubled from $20 million to $44 million.

It also proved to be the reason why town staff and some council members said they had placed the project lower on the CIP rankings list approved Tuesday.

“It was at $20 million, and now it’s more than doubled,” Council President Matt James said.

Councilman John Gehrig said he based his ranking of the project on its ability to generate revenue, as well as its funding sources. He argued that the redevelopment of Baltimore Avenue was wanted, but not needed.

“Baltimore Avenue is totally functional,” he said. “No one ever contacts us and said, ‘I can’t believe I come into town and down Baltimore Avenue and power lines are all over the place.’”

He added that the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) also had plans to pave the Baltimore Avenue corridor this fall. He said it could be an opportunity for the town to focus on smaller projects, such as widening the sidewalks.

“That is an option,” he said. “Before we make a decision that’s tens of millions of dollars, I think we should know all of our options … It’s just a matter of cost.”

DeLuca disagreed, arguing that the longer the town waited, the more expensive the project would be. Councilman Peter Buas added that the town should

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