Worcester debates Route 589

SNOW HILL -- Concerns over the future of Route 589 continue to haunt county government officials as they review new comprehensive rezoning maps.

At a work session on the draft documents, the Worcester County Commissioners contemplated the consequences of adding commercially or residentially zoned land to the already impacted roadway, especially now that a slots license has been granted to Ocean Downs.

Commissioner Judy Boggs pointed to existing empty commercial space along the roadway -- about 72,000 square feet of it, she guessed -- and limited access from the road as the reason to deny the rezoning of a property between the Route 90 interchange and the north gate of Ocean Pines.

"We have in the comprehensive plan that we should not do any drastic changes to Route 589 until we know what we have," Boggs said, adding that the property in question "is just a bad spot to begin with."

However, not all the commissioners were so quick to keep more commercial zoning off Racetrack Road.

Now that the county's slots license has been granted, Commissioners Virgil Shockley and Bobby Cowger said the changes expected at Ocean Downs should be considered when looking at the properties at the southern end of Route 589.

"In rezoning, you have to look for mistakes or a change in the neighborhood," Shockley said. "Slots is a major change in the neighborhood."

Cowger said he supported changing the proposed designation of land directly across from Ocean Downs from residential to commercial to protect the property owners' interests -- something he said should be taken into account when changing zonings.

"With the racetrack across the street and slots coming, there is no doubt that it is going to devalue their property if it goes to (a residential zoning)," he said.

Commissioner Louise Gulyas said that area should stay residential in order to prevent a hotel from being built that would take business away from Ocean City.

The commissioners will vote on the provisions later this year after reviewing the rest of the public comments that were submitted concerning the documents.

That final decision will guide the county's growth and is not something that should be taken lightly, said Assateague Coastkeeper Kathy Phillips. Many of the questions raised by commissioners -- such as the fate of the estate district -- are answered in the comprehensive plan, she said.

"The entire county board seems to be losing track of what the comp rezoning is," Phillips said. "It's not about who owns it. It's not about the value. It's about the overall use of the land in this county and how it will be used for the next 20 years."