Work group urges changes to maritime zoning to aid small marinas; committee requests broader review

Members of an Annapolis Small Maritime Business Workgroup presented findings to the Rules and Government Committee and urged adjustments to O25.1 (the 2021 maritime ordinance) to better accommodate small maritime businesses, particularly parcels in the WME zone that the work group said were effectively excluded by size-based triggers in the 2021 rules.

Hope Stewart, the city's small minority business enterprise liaison in the Department of Planning and Zoning, and Seth Lehner, a Hornpoint Harbor representative, summarized the work group's three months of meetings and five recommendations. Lehner said, "The businesses that were impacted the most by this ordinance were the small marinas in the WME zone," and the group proposed lowering certain square-foot thresholds and offering alternative incentives to the current $200,000 flat payment and 50-space parking triggers.

Why it matters: The 2021 ordinance created conversion "triggers" allowing maritime parcels to convert a limited share of their square footage to general business use only if they met specific thresholds (for example, minimum on-land storage square footage or a large on-site parking requirement). Work group members said many small parcels do not meet those thresholds and therefore cannot take advantage of limited conversions that would enable new marine-support businesses or modest dining uses.

Recommendations: The work group proposed lower, more realistic thresholds (for example reducing a 20,000-square-foot "working yard" trigger to 5,000 square feet of open space suitable for commercial maritime activity and permitting a smaller jib/mobile crane), alternative approaches to the fixed $200,000 payment (such as revenue-based contributions or smaller-scale infrastructure obligations), and clearer definitions of reasonable public access, water taxi landings and small-scale dining. The package the work group presented would allow some WME parcels to convert up to 35% of their existing square footage to general business uses if they met a combination of adjusted triggers and incentives.

Committee response and next steps: Committee members said the proposal requires more analysis of impacts on parking, traffic and neighbors in Ward 8 (the area most affected). Alderman Ross and others emphasized the need to protect maritime activity and waterfront access as the committee considers changes. The committee requested the work group present its report to the full council in a work session so councilmembers from other committees and the full body can weigh trade-offs and regional impacts. The committee did not adopt immediate code changes; staff said they will schedule a council work session and return with more detailed cost and impact analyses.

Ending: The work group delivered a targeted set of options intended to make the 2021 maritime ordinance more usable for smaller parcels; the committee asked for broader council-level review before any ordinance amendment.