Call to order this meeting for October 7th, 2025.

First on the agenda are the approval of the minutes.

Go ahead.

Have a motion.

Yeah, I'll make a motion and approve the minutes, please.

Second.

Second.

Approved.

And we have a public hearing this evening pursuant to the provisions of Article 2, Section 5, Conditional Uses.

A request has been filed under the provisions of section 110 544.

Uses permitted by conditional use in the SC1 shopping center zoning district by reference to Section 110 514 22.

Uses permitted by conditional use in the L C One Local Commercial Zoning District that the Mayor and City Council may approve a use not specifically named in these regulations, provided, however, that such use shall be in keeping with uses specifically permitted in the LC1 district to permit the operation of a water taxi business, ticketing and sales office, and docking of water taxi boats at the head of the east end of the lagoon leading to Asawoman Bay.

The site of the request is described as lot two and revised lot one, section two of the Cane Harbor Mile Platte, dated October 1978, further described as located on the west side of Coastal Highway and South Side of Ocean City Square, and known locally as 11703 Coastal Highway in the town of Ocean City, Maryland.

Applicant Stephen Butts for OC Bay Hopper, Blue Bimini Incorporated, PC file 25 121 0002.

I need to ask whether there is anyone that objects to any of the commissioners serving at this hearing this evening.

Seeing as no one objects, we'll continue.

Okay, thank you very much.

I will.

Sabrina Jean Hecht, uh 301 Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland.

21842.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, I'm the zoning administrator, and quickly I just want to start out with this planning commission meeting to talk about.

We're still in public hearing, but I wanted to talk about the history of land use and why we're here today.

And if you can see, this is from land use in a nutshell, and it talks about in the Roman period around 450 BC that there was the 12 tables, and whoever sets a hedge around land shall not exceed the boundary.

In the case of the wall, he shall leave one foot.

In the case of the house, two feet, but well, a path, an oliver fig tree, nine feet.

So that was important 400 like 2,000 years ago.

So what we're doing today and what you all do on a regular basis helps protect our land and our people.

So we'll get right back into this.

And um, we did the minutes, and I also um I had emailed everybody, the planning commission members, and um put on to our public forum the agenda for today.

So everybody got a copy of it, and then the public out in the community can be able to follow along with us, so you'll be able to see it on your screen today.

So here is our um the staff report and myself again.

I'm Sabrina Hecht of the Zoning Administrator, and we have George Venler, he is the planning and zoning commission, planning and zoning director, and Chase Phillips is our senior zoning analyst.

So the Department of Planning Community Development has reviewed the conditional use application submitted by Stephen Butz for the OC Bay Hopper Blue Binemy Incorporated, which proposes to continue the conditional use as a water taxi service upon submission of the application on September 3rd.

And we have Stephen Butts here today, and uh the property description is OC Bay Hopper 11703 Ocean's Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Maryland 21842.

The subject property is described as a water taxi service.

The zoning classification is shopping center SC1 and local commercial LC1.

And the lot area is land building and a floating pier.

The request is to renew the conditional use permit 119-1210001 and number 20-1210001 for the purpose of operating a water taxi business, ticketing and sales office, and the docking of water taxi boats at the head of the east of the lagoon heading to Asawomen Bay in its current location 11703 Coastal Highway Ocean OC Hopper operates two pontoon boats 28 by 2.

So the project history received port warden approval on January 10th, 2019, planning and zoning conditional use approval on February 20, 2019, Mayor and City Council approval on March 18, 2019, conditional use approval was signed on April 11th, 2019, conditional use approval update at two years to renew every five years on October 19th, 2020.

Business license is valid through May 31st, 2026, and the insurance is valued valid through May 1st, 2026.

So here we are at our five-year renewal.

The following uses are permitted by conditional use in accordance with Article 2, Division 5 of the chapter.

Any use permitted by conditional use in the LC1 commercial district shall be permitted by conditional use within the SC shopping center district, except those which appear either as a permitted use or accessory use within the SC shopping center district.

So the proposed use consists of a ticket office in an existing kiosk building and Coast Guard approved passenger boats that will dock at the privately owned bulkhead in a large canal basin.

The office kiosk is compatible with uses permitted in the shopping center SE1 district.

The passenger boats will operate in the tidal waters of the canal and bay with other privately owned vessels.

The planning commission believes the conditions listed below will help ensure that the passenger boats are operated safely and appropriately as they navigate the canal near the residential communities.

So this is consistent with the comprehensive plan, both in 2017 and our 2025 draft, which you will hear next week.

The waterways will continue to provide recreational benefits and possibly limited amount of transit.

A baside water taxi faring tourists from the north to a location near the inlet could serve as a useful due purpose.

This service would provide relatively rapid transit and a guided tour of the baside at the same time.

The water taxi concept could also be used from Ocean City to the mainland, possibly Ocean Pines.

The water taxi's impact on the overall transportation situation may be small, but it would provide an interesting addition to Ocean City's recreational opportunities and could become its own attraction.

Opportunities to promote such a water taxi service and link in such services to land-based transit alternatives should be explored.

Any private sector interest in developing a water taxi service should be encouraged.

So again, that was in 2017.

We're here in 2025.

That's going to be updated until it's updated.