BERLIN, Md. -- On Monday night, Berlin councilmembers agreed to move forward with plans for the old processing plant at Heron Park. The future of the park has been talked about for a few years.
Palmer Gillis, who the town was in talks with a year ago, will once again be leading this project.
"We really just picked up the baton where we left off last summer," said Councilmember Jack Orris.
Even with last nights decision, there are still some wrinkles to iron out before construction gets underway.
The first and possibly the biggest hurdle to clear is the demolition work. Orris said it should wrap up within the next month or so, at which point the gears will really start turning for Gillis' development.
Gillis said the first order of business will be conducting a traffic study to meet Maryland State Highway Administration requirements for an entrance off Old Ocean City Boulevard.
The town will also need to rezone the parcel of property at Heron Park as "mixed-use", which could take up to 90 days, according to Gillis.
"If they change it to mixed-use, then we can bring in more professional offices, more distribution type centers, more recreational type facilities," said Gillis.
In the project submission to the town, Gillis' firm stated the project could include, but is not limited to: professional offices, warehouse(not mini storage), gym, retail, food services, residential and other commercial uses. No food processing.
Several section of the old warehouse will remain in place and will require some extra cosmetic work once Gillis takes over. If everything goes well over the next few months, Gillis said construction could start as early as spring of 2025.