2017 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

What is the Comprehensive Plan Update?

The Ocean City, MD Comprehensive Plan guides the general arrangement of land uses within the community such as: housing, commercial, recreation and public facilities. The Comprehensive Plan provides a way to communicate a shared vision of the community, and a common set of objectives for managing growth and change. The Comprehensive Plan provides continuity of land use policy and strategies to encourage reinvestment and to manage changing conditions.

Now adopted, these guidelines are implemented through the Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance and other City codes or public infrastructure investments.

    • Last updated in 2006 and 2009
    • Update adopted March 5, 2018
    • Next update is scheduled for 2022 following release of the 2020 Census data

Following a 10 year period including a national economic recession and a large East Coast hurricane, the Comprehensive Plan Update reports a stable period without significant growth, decline or major change (property values excluded) as a result of proactive measures taken by the Mayor and City Council. Priorities for the next ten years will become a Planning and Zoning Commission work plan beginning in 2018.

What will happen next?

Following adoption of the Plan Update on March 5, 2018, the Planning and Zoning Commission will work on priorities established in Chapter 9 implementation including consideration of minor changes to codes and ordinances.

The 2017 Comprehensive Plan amendment may be reviewed online by opening the PDF document listed below. Individual chapters are also listed which show the ‘redline’ changes that have been adopted.