Ocean City Maryland's
Stinky Beach…….
Goes Condo - Sunsations
or Beautiful Park ?
The name Stinky Beach conjures up thoughts not attractive to a public park or hot piece of real estate, but that is what it is all about in the ongoing discussion as what to with the precariously situated piece of property. The name originates from the wafting fumes of commercial fishing boats and fish processing just west of the area in the harbor, and the low tide "stink" of the back bays.
On one hand the property could be made into a beautiful park for everyone to enjoy, on the other hand it lies between Shantytown Shopping Village and the hot new high end Sunset Marina being developed.
Comment: "Build a gambling casino on the spot, or a new Sunsations could be perched there to greet people as they traversed the bay to remind them that out of town investments are controlling the politicians."
The permit to stabilize the area has expired from the Army Corps of Engineers, but could easily be renewed if there was a willingness on the part of some public group to conserve the area. If the property were to be converted into a park the concept would be a more conservative approach to a more extensive approach utilizing a fishing pier and interactive environmental site utilizing walkways with descriptive nature signs.The current basis of the problem is that the politicians in the area, Ocean City, Wocester County, and State are in disagreement to the long term maintenance of the area. And then this would incorporate the monolithic Federal Army Corps of Engineers.
On the conservationist side of the issue we have the Surfrider Foundation, the Maryland Coastal Bays, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Governor of Maryland Glendening (who just recently chastised the local area for their lack of conservation efforts)... and what are they going to do about the issue?
"Stinky Beach" is prime real estate, make no doubt about it. One thought for the area is to do as our neighbors to the north in Delaware have done along the beach head.
"Keep the mean high tide area under Federal and State jurisdiction, but then build the property up privately closing it off to the public."
This concept can easily be witnessed by all of the developments to the north of Ocean City. Where once open to the public pristine beaches, now congested by development. The access to the beach closed off to the general public. Yet with Federal and State funds guarding and maintaining the beach front property. Want to go to the see the sand on the beach and get your toes wet in the surf... don't go to Delaware.
Even better.... use Federal and State moneys... your tax money to stabilize the property, and then when all the fervor quiets down.. sell it off private.
Even better yet.... turn the property over to private individuals for development thus make it into an income producing avenue (taxes raised from the property or sales taxes from businesses), and "make" the private individuals responsible for maintenance and esthetic value... but without funding from Federal insurance plans. This keeps Federal funds from residents in Ohio from paying for the "risk" inherent to the property.
That is.... if privately held, built, and prospered by individuals... then privately fixed, maintained and secured the next time a big hurricane wipes the "Stinky Beach" area off the map.
Stinky Beach and the Ocean City Maryland Inlet
 1933 |
 1935 |
 1955 |
 1960 |
 1964 |
| After '33 Hurricane | Man and Nature rebuilds | After '63 Storm | ||
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Stinky Beach gets it's name from the fact that trash collects on the point of land, and the low tide smell that is often observed in many marshy areas along the back bays of Ocean City.
Before we go any farther, we would like to suggest to the Town of Ocean Ctiy, Maryland that a one millon dollar ($1,000,000) survey be done for any project or use of land that may be considered. It is most important, that the survey be done by an organization from either Yugoslavia , Uruguay, or California…. This would ensure that the result of the study would be biased and based on who gets paid off the most to end result of the local Silly Town Council. Although self-proclaimed experts by eminent domain of election, certainly never qualified to do much more than speak for the chosen few of Airport enthusiasts and sand dredging extortionists.
Every square inch of Ocean City is going to be snapped up and sold off in the next year as interest rates plummet to lows not seen in the last 100 years (when inflation is taken into consideration in respect to the value of the dollar). Most likely, if anything, the property would be bought up by outside interests, and a Sunsations would be built in anticipation of the gambling boom ever so looming on the family resort's horizon. Everybody, that is anybody, is familiar with Sunsation's anticipated gambling boom, why else would they fortify the cinderblock caverns with more electrical outlets than Delmarva Power could ever support.
So the discussion involves whether or not to have Stinky Beach be preserved as a park for the masses of people to enjoy to crab, fish, watch fishing boats, and scenic vistas of Assategue Island. This idea would support the concept of a family resort. Parks seemed geared towards families don't they?
Or will the Town of Ocean City's panel of expert's "Coastal Resources Legislative Committee,"
turn the property over to a select few of investors anticipating the restructuring of the resort's "All American City" newly acquired award?
City Manager Dennis Dare says turning the property into a park would not be in the city's best interest… there would be cost to maintain it… you know, "we'd have to go over an mow the grass."