Greetings from Colorful Colorado! Why, might you ask, would I be writing you from a mile above sea level to discuss what is happening in beautiful Ocean City, Maryland? Because we are homeowners there, and love all that Maryland offers!
Recently, the Ocean City Council made the decision to limit short-term rentals in R-1 (or residential) zones and mobile home areas within the city limits. The intent is, within a few years, to have them only allowed to be rented for periods of a month or longer. A lot of Maryland residents who enjoy their summer at the ocean might be oblivious to how this change might affect their upcoming vacations.
The City Council claims that there are too many “out of town” people coming in, or worse yet, buying homes sight unseen and trying to turn a quick dollar by renting them out. In my experience, that is not the case. We rent out our home in Ocean City, but my family members have been residents of Maryland since the late 1800s. We were forced to move away in the 1980s for my dad’s job, but all of our family remains in the state. Our vacations and memories were watching the Iron Man at Camden Yards, supporting the renovation of what is now Inner Harbor, and buying amazing food at Lexington Market. We also spent family time collecting seashells, watching horses and sipping lemon juice through a peppermint stick on the boardwalk at Ocean City. I do not consider myself an outsider with ill intent, as I gather my friends and family back to the place of my childhood.
One could argue that times have changed and business is business, but this is simply bad business. If you go to the Ocean City rental map website, you can see by looking at the yellow shaded areas (R-1) and the brown dots (indicating approved, licensed short-term rentals) that there are hundreds of properties affected by this injunction. This will, of course, trickle down to the Maryland residents who enjoy taking families to the ocean in the summer, and the local residents.
If all brown dotted homes decide they need to sell because of the loss of revenue, this would bring devastating effects to the housing market for everyone. The market would become saturated, which would drive down prices for everyone, as well as equity in homes. In contrast, if these homes are allowed to continue with their rentals and work with the City Council to agree to residential terms that would keep neighborhoods peaceful and clean for year-round residents, people would continue to invest in updating properties, increasing property values. Furthermore, they would continue to use local contractors, landscape companies, property managers, repair specialists and retail companies, as we have, which support local families and businesses as well as the local economy.
We continue to regularly vacation in Ocean City with our family, even bringing my 82-year-old mom back to Ocean City to see her kids and grandkids make memories where she did growing up. We intentionally purchased a home that could fit our six children and their growing families. We knew we did not want smaller condos or townhomes with limited gathering space because of our family size. We believe there were many more families, like ours, that appreciate the beauty of ocean living, with the quiet, peaceful and local feel of a neighborhood. Most of the reviews of our property have loved the locals they met and the peaceful and quiet neighborhood. It is our intent to add to the culture of the R-1 neighborhood we are a part of, not detract from it.
We hope we can, as homeowners, partner with local government officials to create a win-win outcome and add to the integrity of R-1 neighborhoods and homeowners. Limiting the access or length of stay in these areas is not the answer. Trusting that both parties, as well as tourists who visit, want to see sustainable and lasting arrangements for Ocean City will allow for a meaningful collaboration that will create a good solution for all parties.
Gretchen Holland, who lives in Colorado, grew up in Maryland and owns a home in Ocean City.