Town of Ocean City to inspect all required landscaping

Ocean City officials are reminding residents and property owners of the purpose and intent of the city's landscaping requirements on Wednesday.

Officials say that landscaping helps protect, keep and promote the aesthetic appeal, scenic beauty, character and value of Ocean City, and it promotes public health and safety through the reduction of noise pollution, storm water runoff, reduces heat island effect, stops erosion and it improves air quality, visual pollution and artificial light glare.

Town of Ocean City Environmental Engineer Gail Blazer says, There are a number of reasons that we have a landscaping ordinance. Landscaping contributes to scenic beauty and public health and allows us to visually screen parking areas and properties abutting public ways, as well as provide a buffer between non-compatible land uses."

Blazer said that the town which has had required landscaping for over 40 years, has a bit of a dilemma.  "Trees have reached maturity and some are too big for the location where they were installed," Blazer continued.  "Trees also get sick or diseased and storms uproot trees or break branches.  It is important to realize that these trees were required at the time it was developed."

Officials say that the town's landscaping code involves a maintenance change. Although understandable that trees and landscaping may have had to be taken away for multiple reasons, officials say its important that landscaping required at one time is replaced and maintained.

Officials say that the town has to inspect landscaping ever three years and that this summer inspectors for the town will be going through the community to make sure that all properties are up to code. Blazer says "We will be sending out notifications to the property owners should the landscaping on their property be insufficient. If you are notified that the landscaping must be installed you will have a 60 day compliance period.  If properties are not in compliance the town can assess fines and penalties."

The town also says that when a tree or large shrubs are taken away, property owners can substitute it with another similar sized tree or shrub of a different species and in a separate place. Replacement has to be done at a one to one ratio with an exemption policy where replacement is not practical or reasonably achievable but this has to be town approved.

In order to help property owners, the town says that they have developed a number of grant and rebate programs to provide incentives to plant more landscaping. For more information about the programs, people can call Gail Blazer in the Engineering Department at 410-289-8825.