Two hearings lie ahead for

Margaritaville

Will help decide how development proceeds on former Phillips property

By Mallory Panuska Managing Editor

(Aug. 18, 2023) Plans to build a smaller Margaritaville resort between 13th and 14th streets in downtown Ocean City gained some traction this week with a City Council vote to set a hearing on the developer’s request to obtain air rights over an alley that bisects the property.

The project was introduced as an alternative after developers ran into snags with a proposed larger resort that called for more conference space and amenities. The original project, which needs a special zoning designation to come to fruition, is still on the table, but plans request the city’s abandonment of an alley so the throughway can be used to join two separate parcels. The public hearing on the request is scheduled for Sept. 5.

The smaller project also needs an approval from council members as plans move through the planning stages. The request to obtain air rights over the alley will be set for hearing following the council’s unanimous vote at a work session Tuesday.

THE WINNER

“It’s a smaller hotel with less conference area, less amenities,” local attorney Hugh Cropper, who represents the developers, said Tuesday. “But it is still a very good development. It would be very much a positive for Ocean City.”

Cropper has said developers still prefer the