OCEAN CITY — Keith Hartzell said he and his fellow six City Council members are doing detailed work to come up with a consensus on what they want to see at the former Wonderland Pier property.
Hartzell provided what has become a regular update at council on negotiations with Eustace Mita about the 600 Boardwalk property. He spoke at council’s meeting Oct. 22.
The Second Ward councilman said an 80-question survey was put together for each council member, courtesy of Councilmen Jim Kelly and Sean Barnes. They are looking at a wide range of aspects about the future of the two parcels that were home to the former amusement park, and that will impact the future of the entire boardwalk.
“Mark my words, this is a 100-year decision,” he said of the process they’re going through. “I’ve been up here 18 years. I can’t think of anything that has the magnitude of this decision, not just on 600 Boardwalk, but how the whole boardwalk goes after that.”
Hartzell said it is very detailed on so many factors, including height, bulk, room size, setback, but they are concentrating on three main areas — the entertainment zone, the hotel zone and other provisions.
Mita has proposed building a 252-room, seven-story hotel atop parking at the property and is negotiating with council on what can be built there. Council members have said they would support some upscale hotel rooms on a site not currently zoned for that, but they aren’t in favor of a hotel of the size Mita wants.
Once councilmen submit their answers, possibly by the end of the week, Fourth Ward Councilman Dave Winslow will do an analysis. Winslow headed the Boardwalk Subcommittee that spent seven months studying the boardwalk and came up with recommendations on the entire boardwalk and the Wonderland parcel.
“The key still remains for us to hit consensus on a 7-0 vote, and that’s not going to be easy,” Hartzell said.
He spoke of the diversity of opinions among council members on the future of the boardwalk.
“At this moment I can honestly tell you after working with these seven people, every opinion has been covered,” he said.
Winslow, he said, will come up with averages on all of the aspects “that will force us to compromise. None of us are going to get everything we want. The sheet is designed to help us get a parameter of where we have to compromise with one another and it’s not going to be easy.”
Hartzell said the council needs to do that as they incorporate other opinions into what he calls a “consensus or at least a reasonable road map and plan.”
Once that is done, they plan on a new form of an interactive public meeting to get more opinions, but not how things have worked in the past where people just come up to the microphone to offer their comments. Hartzell said they’re still working on that concept.
“We have to reflect the traditions, values and history of our town,” Hartzell said, “yet we have to embrace change.”
Barnes added the public will be engaged in the process.
“We’re not rubber-stamping anything,” he said. “Whoever develops it we want to make sure it’s the right project for the boardwalk.”
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff