Treating Everyone The Same: Ocean City Council Considers Proposed Changes To Maintenance Of Historic District

Ocean City, NJ -- Saying they would like to get some feedback from residents before the public hearing, Ocean City Council passed a proposed ordinance on introduction that would apply the latest edition of the International Property Maintenance Code to historic properties in Ocean City during its meeting Tuesday night at city hall.

The vote was 6-0, with Councilman Michael DeVlieger recusing himself from the vote because he lives in the historic district.

Although he can’t vote on the issue, he said he would help spread the word about the proposed legislation to the residents, and Councilmen Bob Barr and Keith Hartzell said they would help in that process.

The district spans the First and Second wards, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The proposed change would ensure every property in Ocean City, both commercial and residential, are treated the same, Business Administrator Jim Mallon said Tuesday night.

Currently, Ocean City Code Enforcement is only able to compel owners of historic properties to correct a maintenance violation if the cost to correct is 25 percent of the cost of replacing the entire improvement on which the violation occurs.

This proposed ordinance would give code enforcement officers the ability to require the same maintenance standards on historic properties as they do for other properties throughout the city.

“There are no issues at the moment,” Mallon said. “This is just a cleanup ordinance.”

The public hearing and final vote will take place at the Nov. 10 meeting.