OCEAN CITY, Md. — Ocean City will not move ahead with buying a nearly 193-acre property west of Berlin that had been considered for a future sports complex, though officials say the remain committed to finding a location for the project.
The property sits along Route 50, roughly two miles west of Berlin, and had emerged as a potential home for the proposed athletic facility. It also drew opposition from a number of people living near the proposed site.
Because Ocean City does not have enough undeveloped land within town limits for a complex of the proposed size, leaders have been looking beyond the resort for a suitable site.
On Monday night, the council had been scheduled to hold the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the mayor and council to purchase the property, identified as Parcels 34 and 60 along Ocean Gateway in Berlin.
The decision marks a sharp change from the council's Aug. 11 work session. During that meeting, council members voted unanimously, 7-0, to proceed with a purchase contract for the property, which had a reported price of about $8.7 million.
