Ocean City Manager Terry McGean says the local government officials are aware of a proposed zoning amendment that could pave the way for Amazon’s construction of an unmanned, “power feed equipment facility” at the municipal airport.
But until an existing lease with the city is amended, he said, the only development authorized at the airport is a cable landing.
Power feed equipment, which is usually contained in a cable landing station, sends high voltage electricity to a subsea lineup of booster stations that amplify the signals being transmitted.
“Currently the lease that Globalinx has for the airport only allows for underground cable and a manhole. Therefore, the lease would have to be amended to allow for an above-ground structure,” he said in an email last week. “Ocean City is aware that a zoning amendment is under consideration but to date there have not been any requests made to amend the lease.”
Last week, Amazon Web Services said it was taking a new approach for the transatlantic cables landing in Ocean City – skip the cable landing station currently proposed for Route 611 and pursue a power feed equipment facility directly on airport property. To allow the construction, the company’s legal counsel has submitted a proposed code amendment to Worcester County.
“If the zoning amendment passes and we receive a request to amend the lease, assuming the council wishes to consider that request, it would be placed on an agenda for consideration at that time,” McGean said. “Until that occurs, we have no position.”