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Council approves $15,000 planner contract to advise on 600 Boardwalk after public questions about scope
Summary
After public comment and council discussion about scope and timing, council approved Resolution 26-88 to hire planner Jennifer Heller (Pollastrine & Associates) for up to $15,000 to evaluate proposals for 600 Boardwalk; council said the report will be public and run on a roughly 45-day timetable.
Ocean City council on March 12 adopted Resolution 26-88 to retain planner Jennifer Heller of Pollastrine & Associates LLC to advise the council on proposals for the 600 Boardwalk (the Wonderland site). The contract was described in council debate as a professional-services engagement capped at $15,000 with an anticipated 45-day review window.
The contract drew public comment and council scrutiny over its scope. Jim Kelly, a resident and member of the Boardwalk subcommittee, urged the council to use any outside expertise to answer concrete questions about the site—s best permitted uses and what development would strengthen the boardwalk, warning that the hiring should not simply reopen prior rehabilitation votes. "This hiring could be used as an exercise that provides cover to take the city back down the rehabilitation path," Kelly said during public comment.
Council members responding to the concerns said the planner—s role is to outline considerations the council should review when proposals are submitted, including master-plan consistency, impacts to adjacent properties and state permitting issues such as DEP and CAFRA. Council stated the planner would not itself make a redevelopment recommendation for or against rehabilitation; rather, the consultant would provide technical analysis that would be available to council, the subcommittee and the public.
Council members said the subcommittee working on 600 Boardwalk will continue its work concurrently and that the consultant—s report would be made available to the public. Supporters said the work is necessary to ensure the council conducts independent due diligence and avoids procedural vulnerabilities if the matter later faces legal challenge.
The council voted to adopt the resolution; the motion carried with recorded "yes" votes from Council members Porcini, Barnes, Hartsell, Lovechuck, Winslow and Crowley. After the vote, council confirmed the report would be public when completed and said the subcommittee will proceed with its timeline.
Why this matters: The 600 Boardwalk property is a contested, high-visibility parcel on the north end of Ocean City; independent technical review may influence what the city accepts from developers or what options the council ultimately approves.
Votes at a glance: - Resolution 26-88 (planner contract to Pollastrine & Associates/Jennifer Heller): adopted, vote recorded as Porcini, Barnes, Hartsell, Lovechuck, Winslow, Crowley — all "yes."
