Ocean City appears poised to relocate its police force to a former, multi-story bank building downtown after weighing whether doing so would be less expensive than renovating the department’s current headquarters.
A new police substation is currently being built on Eighth Street steps from the city’s famous boardwalk, making it readily accessible for officers to patrol the attraction.
Meanwhile, city officials have pondered how to use previously designated spending toward its police headquarters. After discussing the topic, the city council introduced an ordinance to spend $12.6 million on buying 801 Asbury Ave., a seven-story building formerly home to Crown Bank.
The building’s first floor is used by the Shoppes at Asbury, a set of tenant businesses. The city has leased upstairs space there for its municipal courts and some police operations, officials said Thursday.
The ordinance would reallocate the price of the proposed purchase from $30 million the city approved in June 2024 for refurbishing the current police headquarters, a former school on Central Avenue diagonal to the bank building, Ocean City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson said Thursday.
The ordinance comes after Mayor Jay Gillian announced the city would likely demolish the current police station with the move.
Before voting to introduce the ordinance, several council members debated its impact on commerce in Ocean City. Besides its boardwalk and beach, the city is also well known for its downtown shopping. Several business owners have spurned the prospect of police using a typically quiet shopping district for their work.
“The space has functioned so well that it sort of begged the question, ‘Would this be a better space, and would it be more cost-effective to use the space at 801 than to go forward with the renovation and addition to 835 Central?” McCrosson said.
The purchase would also include adjoining parking lots, she said.
City officials appear to be on a tight deadline to close on the bank building because of a looming hike in real estate taxes for expensive properties, McCrosson said. Under the new rules, a 3.5% tax is owed on property sales greater than $3.5 million.
Ocean City has until Nov. 15 to close on the property, or else pay the higher tax, which, by estimates are at least $400,000, McCrosson said.
The building, which was built in 1925, was close to becoming a hotel by the Icona chain in 2022 after the building’s owner filed for bankruptcy the prior year.
Gloria Baker, who owns a boutique inside the former bank building, said she’s always dreamed of becoming an Ocean City business owner. She argued on Thursday that the city’s purchase and incorporation of police full-time would cause her business to close.
“My livelihood would be gone,” Gloria told the council. “Opening a store on Asbury is not feasible for me, and as we all know, finding affordable retail space on Asbury Avenue is like finding a needle in a haystack.” The businesswoman suggested the environment of downtown shopping would change with police arrival.
David Breeden, an Ocean City resident, opposed the purchase but was open to hearing more about it, urging the council to be cautious about its effects. The city has mulled over the police headquarters’ future for several years, he said.
“This is a long-term investment, and we need to make sure this is a wise investment, for both the business community, the community in general and for the Ocean City Police Department,” Breeden said, adding he wanted officials to “give me a reason to support it.”
Councilman Keith Hartzel said he doesn’t believe the move will yield as strong a police presence downtown as some believe. However, he sided with Baker’s opinion that shops are precious to Ocean City’s economy. Should the building be bought, officials should prioritize upholding the first floor for retail, he said, adding that the city is “short” on available space versus demand.
“That space is so important because I will guarantee you five or ten years from now, when there’s an empty spot on this avenue, a couple of people that are in there (bank building) are going to go into those spots,” Hartzel said. “Our avenue is so strong right now with the level of stores that have come in, it’s unbelievable. Why? Because we’re an unbelievable downtown.”
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