Margaritaville Project Gains Approvals

 

 

OCEAN CITY – After a pair of marathon hearings, the proposed Margaritaville project moved two big steps closer to becoming a reality this week.

The Mayor and Council on Monday had before them two separate issues related to the Margaritaville Hotel and Conference Center, which would encompass an entire city block downtown on the oceanside facing the Boardwalk between 13th Street and 14th Street. The proposed project over 12 different lots would include 265 hotel rooms and three restaurants, including the JWB Grill with high-end steaks and seafood, the Landshark Bar and Grill and a coffee shop and provisions store in the lobby. The project would also include three outdoor pools and one indoor pool, a wellness center and gym, 14,000 square feet of flexible convention space, retail stores facing the Boardwalk and many other upscale amenities.

On Monday, the Mayor and Council considered two different elements that will bring the project to fruition. The first was a public hearing on the conveyance of air rights over the section of public-access right of way on Washington Lane, which bisects the massive project. The second issue was approval for a planned overlay district, or POD, for the proposed Margaritaville project. A POD affords a developer some flexibility in designing a large-scale project in exchange for some concessions to the town on certain issues.

After the public hearing, the council voted unanimously to approve the conveyance of air rights over Washington Lane with conditions proffered by the developer, NOSC, LLC for improvements to the alley. The Mayor and Council then turned their attention to the POD application for the project, which was ultimately approved after a lengthy discussion.

Planned Overlay District Approved

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