OCEAN CITY, Md. - Years after Ocean City leaders began pushing for a youth sports complex, the project remains without a selected site or a firm deadline to choose one.
Town Manager Terry McGean said the vision has not changed. The proposal includes indoor courts and outdoor fields designed to host tournaments year-round and strengthen the local economy outside the summer peak. “The goal is to construct a sports complex that would have both indoor and outdoor facilities,” McGean said. “Our first critical point right now is looking for a site, looking for property.”
Officials have previously examined multiple parcels in Worcester County, including land near Stephen Decatur High School, but McGean indicated the search has broadened. He confirmed there is no current deadline for site selection. “Really as soon as possible,” he said. “There’s no hard deadline. Establishing a site is challenging.”
Location is expected to drive the pace and price. Town staff point to access to highways, utility capacity and traffic improvements as key factors that must be addressed before design work can move forward. McGean said the town is still operating within the same general cost range that was discussed several years ago and noted that inflation was factored into earlier estimates. “We’re still very comfortable with where we’re at,” he said.
Tourism and Business Development Director Tom Perlozzo said any final cost update would come after a parcel is identified and reviewed with the Maryland Stadium Authority. “Once we do that, we’ll go back before the Maryland Stadium Authority, get all the numbers up to date, and then the town will look at how we’re going to fund our share,” Perlozzo said.
Perlozzo also described a funding approach that leans on visitor dollars rather than local tax hikes. “We’re looking at using room tax, in order to pay our share,” he said, adding that the model would mirror the way Ocean City has paid for major tourism infrastructure in the past. He noted the conversation has stretched over a decade at the town and county levels. “A little frustrated, but I think all good things come in time,” he said.
Officials say the goal remains the same. They want a complex that can attract teams and families throughout the year, support local jobs and help stabilize business in the shoulder seasons. Perlozzo said the town has the hotels, short-term rentals and restaurants to support that market once a site is chosen and a final plan is ready.
Cost updates, traffic mitigation plans and utility needs remain on hold. Town leaders say they will provide public updates when a preferred site emerges and the project advances to the next step.