FENWICK ISLAND – A moratorium on new hotel construction passed unanimously on second reading last week, effectively halting the issuance of such building permits for another two years.

Last Friday, the Fenwick Island Town Council voted unanimously to approve a moratorium on new hotel construction on second reading. As an existing moratorium had expired in July, officials in June introduced an ordinance allowing for a two-year extension.

“I’m in favor of this,” Councilman Richard Benn told the council last week. “We have too many things going on, and we need to see what comes up with the planning commission, resiliency study and parking.”

In 2016, the town council voted to establish a moratorium on new hotel construction following an extensive debate regarding the former Sands Motel. Developer Spiro Buas purchased the property in 2015 with plans to construct a new, upscale hotel in its place. In doing so, he proposed an ordinance change that would allow for one motel room per 600 feet instead of one motel room per 1,000 feet, allowing the hotel to expand from 38 rooms to 65 rooms.

Despite outcry from nearby residents, the council at the time voted to approve the ordinance. However, a two-year moratorium on new hotel and motel construction was also put forward.

Since that time, the council has approved two extensions to the moratorium to allow the town more time to consider the impacts of a new hotel on Fenwick Island. Magdeburger told officials in June she was recommending a third extension.

“After looking at all the issues we’ve got going on in town, it’s my personal belief we need to extend the moratorium once again,” she said at the time. “I’m going to propose – and I have a proposal for first reading – we extend it for another two years. It may be that we only need 18 months, but we’ve got several competing issues going on that we need to address.”

In addition to issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, officials noted the town was looking to construct sidewalks and address parking issues in the commercial district.

The town also plans to complete a resiliency study – which would provide the town with ways to address sea level rise and flooding – as well as a recertification of its 10-year comprehensive plan.

“The Town Council finds that maintaining the status quo of existing motel/hotel uses by placing a moratorium upon the issuance of any permit, license or other approval for or involving new motel/hotel uses in the Town for a period of two (2) years is the minimum time period necessary for the Town to study these issues/concerns and create a plan of implementation that often follows said process,” the ordinance reads.

Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.

SNOW HILL – What started as a new hobby is now a source of major recognition for a Snow Hill teenager. Brendan Birch, a senior at Snow Hill High School, displayed a 95% accuracy rate and took home numerous awards from an international trapshooting competition in Illinois last month. His newfound success has him hoping…

OCEAN CITY – Community members will have an opportunity to own a piece of history as items from an iconic hotel will be up for grabs. The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum is currently holding an eBay auction featuring items from the iconic Beach Plaza Hotel, which announced its closure in January 2021. Located on…

SNOW HILL – The county will pay a $540,000 Bay Restoration Fee following failure to meet nitrogen limits at the Ocean Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Worcester County Commissioners this week voted 5-2 to use the Ocean Pines service area’s reserve fund to pay the $540,000 Bay Restoration Fee. Commissioner Chip Bertino, who was one…

OCEAN CITY – Two more steps were taken this week in the eventual abandonment and conveyance of an unused portion of Baltimore Avenue to existing private property owners, including a needed piece for the proposed Margaritaville project. In recent years, a major renovation of the Baltimore Avenue streetscape has been in the works including undergrounding…

Sign Up for the Daily Buzz E-News to receive the latest news around the area delivered to your inbox.

Search, Shop & Compare low rates guaranteed. PLUS get FREE stuff!