Worcester County to use eminent domain to save seafood properties from US Wind 

Worcester County Commissioners have announced plans to use eminent domain to prevent US Wind from purchasing two seafood wholesale properties in West Ocean City’s commercial maritime harbor.

The move comes as US Wind’s parent company, Renexia SpA, looked to demolish the harbor’s only commercial seafood wholesalers, Southern Connection Seafood and the Martin Fish Company, according to the Commission’s resolution.

Commissioners cited several reasons for taking action, including the commercial fishing industry’s impact on the regional economy and federal fishery catch quotas which require unloading in a Maryland port.

“US Wind is proposing to take the two fish houses, practically crippling the commercial fishing industry,” said Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young. “There’s no plan B right now, there’s no plan B, there’s no property identified to build another fish house, even if there was you’re going from two to one, now there’s a monopoly on that.”

When reached for comment on Tuesday, US Wind’s Vice President of External Affairs Nancy Sopko provided us with a statement, part of which addressed Worcester County’s claim that the company has no backup plans for commercial fisherman.

“US Wind, the state of Maryland, local fishermen, and other key stakeholders are working on a Memorandum of Understanding to establish and fund programs to mitigate and lessen impacts. We also plan to replace existing offloading and ice services without disruption,” said Sopko.

In November, Maryland approved US Wind’s tidal wetlands license application to reconstruct a pier for an Operation and Maintenance Facility in the harbor.

Officials say long-term leases with the seafood houses’ existing owners will allow them to continue serving the needs of the industry.

“If there ever was a worthy use of eminent domain, this is it,” said Young. “There is support for the actions being taken today by the Worcester County Commissioners, the Ocean City Mayor and Council, and area stakeholders, as well as an overwhelming majority of residents, businesses, and property owners, who are against US Wind destroying our commercial harbor and the resort’s viewshed.”

Before the county goes down the eminent domain road, it has to find out if the owners of both properties are willing to sell to the county and it has to find out how much the land is worth. Worcester officials will be up against stiff competition, too.

“We’ve been told what US Wind has offered is many times what the appraised value is,” said Young.

US Wind declined to disclose its offer to WBOC, but Sopko did voice displeasure with Worcester County’s recent move.

“Worcester County’s latest efforts would block much needed upgrades to the West Ocean City Harbor and the economic benefits that would flow from building a new facility in the area,” said Sopko.

Sopko also addressed any potential litigation, telling us the company is prepared to “explore every legal option at our disposal should the County continue these misguided efforts.”

Young, however, does not believe the county is the one with misguided efforts.

“There’s other properties in the harbor, they could buy the Orsted property, they could buy Pier 23 which is no longer operational,” said Young. “There’s other properties, don’t take the fish houses, they’re threatening the entire commercial fishing industry, bring it.”

This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.