OCEAN CITY – Officials in Ocean City will soon discuss next steps related to the development of a proposed sports complex.
On May 30, the Mayor and Council will revisit a discussion on the proposed sports complex being eyed for Worcester County. Following a meeting with the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) late last month, city officials agreed to continue talks at an upcoming work session.
“As far as the sports complex goes, we have had the briefing from the Stadium Authority, and really in my mind that leaves three basic questions the council needs to consider,” City Manager Terry McGean said in an interview this week. “One, the county is clearly not interested in the sports complex. Is the city interested in taking the lead? If so, are we looking to do an indoor complex, an outdoor complex or both? Finally, are we looking at the same property or are we looking at another potential site?”
For years, resort council members have expressed their desires to develop a sports complex somewhere near Ocean City and tap into the growing youth sports market. And in 2019, the town commissioned the MSA to conduct a market and economic analysis for a proposed sports complex in the Ocean City area.
After the pandemic hit, however, MSA officials were tasked with revising its study – which relied heavily on pre-COVID assumptions – and producing a site-specific assessment of the Route 50 property in Berlin.