Ocean City to demolish old homes for parking

The two vacant homes standing side by side at the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue are both well over 100 years old.

Despite their longevity, they won’t be there much longer.

Now under the city’s ownership, the three-story homes at 844 and 846 Central Avenue will be demolished soon to create more public parking in the downtown business district.

City spokesman Doug Bergen said Tuesday that a contractor is completing the removal of asbestos from both properties before they are torn down.

“Pending inspections and weather permitting, demolition could be as early as next week,” Bergen said.

Records show that the house at 844 Central Avenue was built in 1898. The property functioned for decades as both retail and residential space under a succession of owners. It formerly operated as a frame shop. The city agreed to buy it in 2024 for $750,000.

The house next door at 846 Central Avenue was bought by the city in 2025 for $960,000. Online real estate records show that the house was built in 1903. Until 2025, the ground floor had served as the location for Maria’s Cafe & Grille, a family-style casual restaurant.

The houses are surrounded by a construction fence as final plans are being made for their demolition. “Caution” signs have been posted on the fence by the demolition contractor, Neri Demolition & Excavating.

The homes occupy a prime spot on the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue in the heart of downtown, just behind City Hall and across the street from the former public safety building that, until recently, had served as the headquarters for the Ocean City Police Department.

The demolition of both homes will give the city public parking on virtually the entire block of Central Avenue, between Eighth and Ninth streets, directly behind City Hall.

“The acquisition of the frame shop and cafe will allow the addition of an estimated 17 additional parking spots convenient to the downtown. More importantly, it gives the city control of almost half a city block – from Eighth Street to Ninth Street along Central Avenue – if the city were to ever consider an elevated parking solution or another use that would benefit the public,” Bergen said.

    A demolition sign indicates what is coming next.
  

The city’s parking-related buying binge on the block of Eighth and Central began in 2024 when it acquired two privately owned parking lots close to City Hall for $3.3 million.

The two parking lots are behind the former Crown Bank building and include a total of 44 spaces. They are now public parking. They are located adjacent to the existing 71-space municipal parking lot behind City Hall along Central Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets.

Later this year, the city plans to demolish the now-closed former public safety building at 835 Central Avenue to make room for construction of a new police headquarters. The property will temporarily serve as a parking lot once the building is demolished.

The cost of the new police headquarters and how long it will take to build will become clearer after the city completes the designs over the summer.

Mayor Jay Gillian said in an interview in early March that he hopes construction will begin in September, right after the summer tourism season.

The city had a budget of $30 million for the project and has been drawing down on the money to pay for related expenses, Gillian said. He expects the final construction cost to be in the $25 million range.

In the meantime, the city’s newly built $6.1 million police substation at Eighth Street and the Boardwalk is serving as the police department’s temporary headquarters. It will continue in that role until the new public safety building is constructed.

The antiquated former public safety building is even older than the two homes at 844 and 846 Central Avenue. The red-brick building dates to 1884 and was a school before it was converted into the police headquarters decades ago.

    Maria's Cafe & Grille formerly occupied the first floor at 846 Central Avenue.