By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer

(Feb. 13, 2020) An agreement to annex more than 100,000 square feet of property into the Town of Berlin was approved by the Berlin mayor and Town Council meeting on Monday.

The Berlin mayor and Town Council approved the annexation of over 100,000 square feet on the south side of Route 50 and the east side of Seahawk Road on Monday.

The land is on the south side of Route 50 and the east side of Seahawk Road. The process began last December when the Planning Commission approved the request.

There are 104,811 square feet eligible for annexation, according to a memorandum from Oct. 24 last year. A McDonald’s restaurant once stood on the property, as did a Harley Davidson dealership, according to Planning Director Dave Engelhart.

The land is designated as a C-2 Commercial zone in Worcester County, according to the annexation memorandum. If approved, the area would be rezoned to B-2 Shopping District within Berlin’s town limits.

“The area is within 2 acres, it is [across] from the town, and the purpose of the annexation is, frankly, to allow the property to have a use,” attorney Joseph Moore, of Williams, Moore, Shockley & Harrison in Ocean City, said. “The intended use of the property … is an AutoZone property.”

Moore added that the properties would be connected to the town sewer. As for the expense the property owners would bear the responsibility, he said. The property owners would also pay ready-to-serve fees associated with the allotted equivalent dwelling units.

“These uses on the property are not residential, they are commercial, which brings us to our request that you would allow the rezoning of B-2 for the zone,” Moore said.

Moore also presented a letter of approval from the Worcester County Commissioners regarding the annexation of the properties.

Robert Mitchell, director of environmental programs for Worcester County, served as Moore’s witness for the annexation proposal.

The annexation was passed by a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Zach Tyndall opposed.