Monday, May 20, 2013
To attract more single-family home buyers, Ocean City moves toward allowing zoning for "coastal cottages."
Take the space occupied by a typical Ocean City duplex and create two small single-family homes. That's essentially the concept approved by City Council last week in an attempt to create more opportunities for year-round families to move to Ocean City. In a seaside town where the median home price is more than $500,000 and the median price for single-family homes even greater, the year-round population fell by almost 24 percent between 2000 and 2010 as many high-priced properties were purchased by investors and wealthy summer residents. On Thursday (May 16), City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that could possibly create more opportunities for affordable single-family structures. Council voted 5-1 to approve the …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The measures make it easier for owners to rebuild properties in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
City Council on Thursday gave final approval to its second revised zoning ordinance of 2013 to make it easier for property owners to elevate, rebuild and repair in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The ordinance addresses 10 sections, including decks (existing, nonconforming decks can be elevated where they are within one foot of adjacent habitable space), pergolas (open rafters or trellis work will not be considered roofs) and crawlspaces (extended limitations on use of them as storage space). The attached PDF includes the full text of the revised ordinance and an explanation of the changes (minor changes were made to the text in the attached PDF before final passage). Before the vote on Thursday, Leyte Lane resident Jim O'Rourke asked …
New director, Life Saving Station, Boardwalk musicians, West Avenue zoning and Snug Harbor dredging.
City Council approved a $71 million municipal budget at its public meeting on Thursday (May 16), but here are five other things that might be of interest: Look for more City Council coverage posted later on Friday.
Friday, April 12, 2013
City Council will vote again on May 16.
City Council on Thursday unanimously approved its second revised zoning ordinance of 2013 to make it easier for property owners to elevate, rebuild and repair in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. A second and potentially final vote on the amended ordinance is scheduled for May 16 after a consistency review by the Ocean City Planning Board. The ordinance addresses 10 sections, including decks (existing, nonconforming decks can be elevated where they are within one foot of adjacent habitable space), pergolas (open rafters or trellis work will not be considered roofs) and crawlspaces (extended limitations on use of them as storage space). The attached PDF includes the full text of the revised ordinance and an explanation of the changes.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Lawsuits against the city, post-Sandy zoning relief, municipal budget increase and more.
City Council has a full agenda for its public meeting 7 p.m. Thursday (April 11) at the Ocean City Free Public Library. Council will consider an ordinance that would eliminate the local Ocean City Ethics Board, but here are five other things that might be of interest:
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-74.590535
Ocean City Free Public Library
1735 Simpson Ave, Ocean City, NJ
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Sunday, April 7, 2013
Ocean City resident Kathryn Thomas thanks City Council and administration members for their prompt assistance.
To the editor: I'd like people who find themselves in the same situation that I did to know there's a solution and that it came from the same city officials I thought were clueless three weeks ago after I read city ordinance 13-07. In order to get a certificate of occupancy after raising your house, if your crawl space ends up being 5 or more feet high, city ordinance requires you to record a deed restriction prohibiting that crawl space from ever being turned into living space. The county clerk's office says you have to hire a lawyer to record a deed restriction, but I can't afford one. So, in frustration, three days ago I sent an e-mail to City Council members whose names I found online, asking them if the city solicitor or a council …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
West Avenue zoning, EMT contract, post-Sandy zoning, Merion Park bulkhead and marina at Second and Bay.
At its public meeting on Thursday (March 28), City Council gave final approval to an ordinance that raises parking fees at meters that will accept credit cards, but here are five other things from the meeting that might be of interest:
Friday, March 15, 2013
An amended ordinance addresses minor zoning issues for property owners elevating homes.
City Council on Thursday gave final approval to an ordinance designed "to quickly address zoning issues in the new world of ABFE maps." That's how City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson on March 1 summarized the intent of detailed zoning amendments intended to help homeowners displaced by Superstorm Sandy quickly rebuild. (See attached PDF for full text of the amended ordinance.) ABFE stands for "Advisory Base Flood Elevation" and guides the first-floor elevations required for new or substantially rebuilt homes, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood map under development. With homes required to be substantially elevated, a variety of issues regarding building guidelines have arisen. "The city would be flooded with zoning …
Sunday, March 3, 2013
City Council passes the first reading of an amended zoning ordinance designed to help owners rebuild after Sandy.
In a world a little farther above sea level, nothing seems to fit. As homeowners and contractors begin to consider elevating homes to meet new guidelines for flood safety, stairs would stretch into side yards and a host of other zoning issues would be raised along with the homes. City Council on Thursday passed the first reading of an amended ordinance drafted to help homeowners rebuild in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, which struck on Oct. 29 and left Ocean City buried under record flood levels. The ordinance was designed "to quickly address zoning issues in the new world of ABFE maps," City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson told City Council. New Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps require substantially damaged homes to be rebuilt at…
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Heights in oceanfront zones, $3.5 million in improvements, bids for a south-end sand berm and more.
City Council has a full agenda for its public meeting 7 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 24) in the lecture room at the Ocean City Free Public Library, but here are five things that might be of special interest:
39.27181
-74.590535
Ocean City Free Public Library
1735 Simpson Ave, Ocean City, NJ
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1960430
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Eric Sauder
11:08 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
We need to stop with the over development and start investing in infrastructure. This island is coming apart. more ›