Demolition of the long-vacant Palermo’s Family Market at Fourth Street and Asbury Avenue in Ocean City began on Tuesday morning.
An excavator is making quick work of knocking down the single-story portion of the former supermarket and piling debris into a dumpster to be hauled away.
Temporary signs prohibit parking on Fourth Street adjacent to the building from Wednesday through Friday, presumably when the three-story portion of the building (which includes upper-floor residences) will come down.
Mick Duncan, owner of Duncan Homes at the Shore and Surfside Construction, won Planning Board approval in May to replace the abandoned supermarket with seven duplexes.
City regulations typically prevent demolition work during the summer, but Duncan was granted an exception.
Property owners on nearby Asbury Avenue questioned the accommodation for the developer, particularly so close to the end of the summer.
“I just do not understand the need to start this before the end of the season and cause a real inconvenience to our renters,” John Giknis said.
Ocean City Business Administrator Jim Mallon said last month that in certain cases involving public safety and public nuisance, the city has granted permission for summer demolitions. Neighbors have long complained about the eyesore, the pests that live there and the danger of the dilapidated building.
At least on Tuesday morning, the noise and dust appear to be minimal, though immediate neighbors on the 400 block of Asbury Avenue said they could feel the ground shake at some points.
Duncan has agreed to demolish the dilapidated supermarket and upper-floor residences, and to pay $325,000 for the cleanup of an oil spill covering the first three lots of the property and a neighboring property (from tanks that already have been removed).
He estimated that demolition work would take about a week.
Remediation of the oil spill will begin after the demolition, and construction will not begin until the fall.
The city required proof of full extermination of rodents and pests before work began. Dust-control measures will be enforced with water required to be on site. Crews will be required to follow regulations that set hours for demolition and construction work.
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Duncan’s plans for the site include seven duplexes with each individual unit including three bedrooms and about 1,200 square feet of living space.
Each unit will have two spaces for off-street parking, one in a garage and one in a driveway off the rear alley. Because an existing building that is not part of the Palermo property takes up a small part of the corner lot, Duncan received a variance to build the corner duplex on a 40-by-80-foot lot (the other lots are 100 feet deep). The corner unit has its garage in the front with a new curb cut to Asbury Avenue in his plan.
But because about more than 90 feet of existing curb cut from the existing supermarket would be eliminated, two on-street parking spaces are expected to be added.
All the units conform with an existing zone for residential duplexes with 30-foot frontages (R2-30) that was approved in August 2014.
The plans showed a variety of designs for the front and rear facades.
The business has been closed since 2009 and listed for sale since 2011.
Duncan said he anticipates the new homes could be complete in spring 2016.
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