2025 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.
Once adopted, these guidelines are implemented through the Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance and other City codes or public infrastructure investments.
• Last updated in 2017
• Currently under a 10-year cycle review with proposed updates in 2025
The Introduction section of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan describes a deliberate approach to build on a successful past, and incrementally reinvent new opportunities for the future.
“Changes in the overall concepts and major objectives of the Plan will be approached gradually during the next 10 years. The purpose of this 10-year review is to identify the current and most important ideas for adapting to change and growth so that Ocean City will continue to be the first-choice place to live, play, and invest in the future. The Comprehensive Plan will be evaluated and updated again in 2032 in order to coincide with the release of new Census information.”
What will happen next?
The Draft 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update is a ‘working document’ that will continue to be evaluated and revised over the next several months. A 60-day review period (July/August) leads up to a public hearing held by the Planning and Zoning Commission (September/October), followed by Mayor and City Council review for approval (November/December).
Why does the Comprehensive Plan need to be updated?
• The Plan should respond to new trends or changes, and propose implementation strategies
• The Plan will incorporate new information such as 2020 Census data (resident population)
• The Plan should align with County, State or National priorities. Maryland State Legislation requires all Comprehensive Plans to include the following with a 10-year cycle review:
▪ Incorporate 2020 Census data/2023 American Community Survey data
▪ Housing Element must study affordable housing needs for low income and workforce households, affirmatively further fair housing principles, and propose action strategies
▪ Water Resource Element update to integrate climate change adaptation, current water resource issues, changes in water/sewer demand/stormwater runoff, and flood risk management
How can you participate in the Plan Update?
The Draft Update may be reviewed online by opening the PDF document. Please provide your ideas for the Comprehensive Plan Update in comment window.