Ocean City’s Planning Approach - Is It Time for a Reset?

City planning is always a balancing act—encouraging responsible development while preserving culture, character, and quality of life. Zoning laws are the framework for achieving that balance. They’re designed to provide predictability, ensure compatibility of uses, and protect the long-term vision for a community.

But that framework only works if it’s followed.

In Ocean City, the Planning Board regularly grants variances that make exceptions to established zoning rules—whether for setbacks, conditional uses, parking requirements, or changes in use. While some exceptions may be reasonable, they’ve become far too common. What was meant to be rare and case-specific, mostly in response to undue burden, has become routine.

The result? A slow, often invisible shift in how and where development happens—without a formal plan, without cumulative impact assessments, and without broad community input.

Why Variances Matter

Zoning rules reflect a shared vision for how our city should grow. They support tourism, protect neighborhood character, manage infrastructure demand, and provide clarity to residents and developers alike. When variances are handed out regularly, the entire system becomes unpredictable—and everyone pays the price.

Uncertainty and Higher Costs: Developers face more delays and risk, and residents no longer know what to expect in their neighborhoods. Without clear rules, decisions can feel arbitrary or inconsistent. The Glen Cove Marina decision seemed the victim of this. What should have been an easy decision — no commercial operations in a residential marina — was lead astray by lack of both common sense and zoning clarity.

Loss of Public Trust: When zoning decisions shift depending on who’s deciding them, or who is asking for something, public confidence erodes. Residents feel left out of a process that increasingly favors short-term interests over long-term planning. Wonderland is a perfect example. 11 months ago, the Mayor and Council members and candidates categorically stated that high rise hotels would never be allowed on the Boardwalk. Now they’re thinking about it. What changed, other than money rolling into town?

Zoning Creep: One exception may not seem like a big deal. But over time, repeated variances quietly reshape entire districts—changing uses, altering density, or relaxing protections—without any formal rezoning or strategy. Just look at certain streets in town — like E. Atlantic Ave — that have become massive duplex nightmares. They bear no resemblance to what they once were, or how they felt, as neighborhoods.

Infrastructure Strain: Each exception can add new burdens—on parking, stormwater, traffic, and emergency services. But because the city reviews these projects individually, the collective impact often goes unmeasured and unaddressed. Wonder why you can’t park in the summer? This is probably the reason.

Bigger Issue: A Zoning Map That’s Chaotic, Confused, and Made Worse by Constant Variances

From the Boardwalk to the bay, Ocean City is grappling with a host of planning and development challenges. These include lack of parking, attempts to change our longstanding boardwalk zoning, the commercial use of our residential lagoons, and the pace and scale of new construction—particularly the surge in large duplex-driven development—and the cumulative impact of overdevelopment on everything from infrastructure to quality of life.

At the same time, the city cannot ignore the looming pressures of climate change, which will inevitably shape where and how we build in the years ahead.

Unfortunately, instead of acting as a clear guide, Ocean City’s zoning map has become chaotic and disconnected from sensible planning goals. It no longer acts as a stable rudder for growth. Instead, it flops around—detached from the handle—causing the city to drift in response to developer preferences rather than follow a community-driven direction.

There is also a growing concern that Ocean City's visual identity and character are slipping away. Recent development has often felt piecemeal, inconsistent, and driven more by short-term profit than by any long-term vision. Aesthetic cohesion, thoughtful design, and community values have taken a backseat, and the town’s unique look and feel—the very elements that made it special—are increasingly at risk.

That needs to change.

It’s Time to Reassess

Now is the time for Ocean City to step back and reassess. It’s time to shift away from reactive, dollar-driven development and toward a proactive, comprehensive planning process. That means gathering facts, engaging residents, seeking expert input, and using those insights to guide smart government decisions.

Out of that process, a new city planning map should emerge—one that reflects a unified vision, respects the town’s heritage, accounts for environmental realities, and provides a clear, responsible path for future development.

With so much at stake for the island’s future, now is the time for thoughtful, long-term thinking—not shortcuts, and not zoning by exception, or for favor.