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Worcester County delays decision on rezoning request near Ocean City after split testimony
Summary
Commissioners heard a contested rezoning request from Casa Holdings LLC to reclassify 1.66 acres from A2 agricultural to a commercial district. After testimony from the applicant and neighbors and debate over sewer EDUs and neighborhood character, commissioners tabled the application to allow an amended C1 proposal to return to the Planning Commission.
The Worcester County Commissioners on Feb. 17 heard a public hearing on rezoning case 4‑52, a petition by Casa Holdings LLC to reclassify about 1.66 acres near Maryland Route 611 from A2 (agricultural) to C2 (general commercial).
Planning staff entered the Planning Commission file and said the Planning Commission recommended rezoning on the basis of a change in the character of the neighborhood. Attorney Hugh Cropper, representing the applicant, urged the commissioners to approve a rezoning that he said would help manage growth and provide space for small businesses and offices. "If there's a change in the character of the neighborhood, what opportunities do we have to manage our growth?" Cropper said, arguing for flexibility ahead of a comprehensive plan update.
Owner Aaron Finney testified that he purchased the parcel to relocate his technology business and described commercial demand in West Ocean City. He said on-site septic and sewer allocations (EDUs) are constrained and that the narrow, wooded lot limits development intensity.
Commissioners pressed the applicant on infrastructure constraints. Commissioner Fiore argued the application resembled a spot rezoning and said the surrounding area is becoming more residential; he moved to deny the C2 rezoning on those grounds. Several commissioners queried soil percolation test results, sewer timing, and whether adjacent parcels had been rezoned earlier. The applicant then amended the request from C2 to C1 (neighborhood commercial) and asked to return to the Planning Commission for the amended application.
Rather than decide on the merits of rezoning at this meeting, the board voted to table the petition and send the amended C1 request back to the Planning Commission for review and a future public hearing. No final rezoning vote was taken.
What happens next: The applicant will return to the Planning Commission with the revised C1 filing; the county said the revised request will require further public hearings before any final vote.
