Construction barrels line the sidewalk surrounding the vacant property.
Squawking seagulls taking a dip in rain puddles are pretty much the only ones making any use now of vacant land next to the Ocean City Community Center.
The sprawling, city-owned property is little more than a dirt and asphalt lot bordered by Haven and Simpson avenues between 16th and 17th streets.
Although it is blighted now, the site will be transformed in coming weeks with new sod, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and a regraded parking area as part of a $1 million landscaping plan.
Michael Allegretto, aide to Mayor Jay Gillian, said work on the project is scheduled to begin Oct. 6 and be completed by late November.
“We want to get it looking nice for the neighborhood. It’s been sitting in this state for a while, and we want to get it looking good,” Allegretto said in an interview Wednesday.
The mayor had originally hoped to have the project completed in time for the busy summer tourism season following City Council’s award of the $1 million construction contract on May 8.
City Council tabled the construction contract for two weeks in April for more discussion with the Gillian administration. The governing body wanted to know then whether the project would mostly consist of temporary or permanent improvements. The Council members indicated that they did not want the city to spend $1 million on only temporary improvements.
During the two-week delay in awarding the contract, Councilman Dave Winslow conducted an analysis of the project. He concluded that most of the improvements – 82 percent – would be permanent. His findings persuaded Council to award the contract.
The property is located next to the Ocean City Community Center, seen in the background.In his analysis, Winslow concluded that the landscaping improvements would benefit the neighborhood by getting rid of the blight while the city develops long-range plans for the property’s future.
New sidewalks, curbs and gutters will be saved for when the city undertakes the property’s permanent revitalization.
The sod would be only temporary. The $1 million contract includes $116,000 worth of new sod, but the most expensive items are the sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
Winslow said the sod would have the benefit of creating new green space that could be used for recreational activities while the city ultimately decides what to do with the land in the long run.
“In the interim, the field can be used for many recreational purposes and meets the overarching call from residents to keep the parcel as open, green space. It would be a shame to let the property sit vacant for many, many more years in the condition it’s in,” he said during the May 8 Council meeting.
Winslow also noted that the improvements will include a total of 116 additional parking spaces. He said the new spaces will help overcome the parking shortages at the adjacent Ocean City Community Center.
A barricade blocks an entrance to the property on Simpson Avenue near 16th Street.The property consists of three sites the city acquired from private owners in 2021 through eminent domain, creating a full block of land bordered by Haven and Simpson avenues between 16th and 17th streets, next to the Community Center.
After a lengthy legal fight to decide the value of the property, the city paid $20 million for one site and was ordered by a jury to pay $7.2 million for the two others.
The land will be added to a corridor of open space protected from development. The city plans to dedicate a five-block area from 15th Street to 20th Street to open space and public use.
The property was best known as the former site of the Perry-Egan auto dealership. The city’s main objective in acquiring the land was to stop the site from being densely developed for housing construction.
Next up, the city must decide its long-range plans for the property. Last year, the city solicited ideas from the public on ways to transform the land.
Suggestions from the public varied widely but fell roughly into three categories: open space and passive recreation, including features such as trails, gardens, fountains and amphitheaters; active recreation, including attractions such as an outdoor pool, skating rink, pickleball courts or fields; and practical uses such as additional parking or affordable housing.
Allegretto noted that the city plans to get “all of the community’s input to make the best decision possible” for the property’s long-term use.
Seagulls take a dip in rain puddles on the vacant site.
