By MADDY VITALE
A towering tree at 224-226 Simpson Ave. in Ocean City has been a focal point of the neighborhood.
After much discussion, the tree will remain and plans for a new duplex there to provide affordable housing were revised to set the house back a bit farther on the property, city officials said.
The city and the Ocean City Housing Authority heard from residents who want the tree saved, and they listened.
In the past, neighbors have referred to the tree as an “oasis” in the neighborhood and a gathering place for kids to play and for block parties.
“The tree’s staying. We have had extensive talks about that,” City Councilman Terry Crowley Jr. said during his First Ward meeting with residents on Oct. 22.
Crowley said he believed the large tree is a catalpa tree.
Catalpas are impressive trees. They are known for a symmetrical and rounded canopy when they are given plenty of space to grow.
The trees grow to 40 to 60 feet tall. They make attractive shade trees in open areas, according to online descriptions.
“It is the classic situation where we talked to as many people as we could in the community and the sentiment was toward keeping the tree,” Crowley explained in an interview Saturday. “It is one of those situations where not everyone will be happy, but I felt not cutting down a tree outweighs the negative.”
Five duplexes having a total of 10 rental units of affordable housing will be completed in 2023 for families of low and moderate incomes.
Two duplexes will be built at 3300 Bay Ave. at the former American Legion post property, another two at 240-244 Haven Ave. and the fifth at 224-226 Simpson Ave. They will offer a mix of two or three-bedroom units.
The duplexes will help the city meet its state-mandated obligation to provide its “fair share” of affordable housing under a court settlement in 2018.
The tree has been a part of the Simpson Avenue neighborhood for many years. And even though the parcel will no longer be vacant, and a duplex will occupy the land, the tree will be a reminder of the memories made on the lot, when children played and neighbors hosted block parties on the lawn.
“The Housing Authority ultimately has the final say and agreed to keep the tree,” Crowley noted. “The neighbors want the house to fit in with the neighborhood and because of the tree, the authority just had to push the house back in the lot.”
The project to build residences for those who qualify has been in the works for a few years. More than $4 million in state and local funding will be used for the projects. The homes are expected to blend in with the rest of the community.
“Going back years, I wasn’t impressed with the initial plans,” Crowley pointed out. “There will be a whole process there of who will live in the houses. The idea is really to give a young family or someone who needs a little help a foot in the door to be a member of the Ocean City community.”
City Councilman Bob Barr, who also serves as chairman of the Ocean City Housing Authority, has said that the scattered affordable housing units will “blend into the community.”
“If you drive by them, you will otherwise not know,” Barr said in an earlier interview.
