Developers for the proposed Assateague Landing Apartments on Bay Street in Berlin want to transition the initially approved apartment complex outline to a 12-unit duplex.
A rendering shows the proposed design of the Assatague Landing Apartments in Berlin, which are now set to be duplexes.
Rendering courtesy Atlantic Group and Associates
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
Developers for the proposed Assateague Landing Apartments on Bay Street in Berlin intend to transition the initially approved apartment complex outline to a 12-unit duplex.
The commission green-lit site plans for the Assateague Landing Apartments project last September. The structure, to be placed on a 2.8-acre lot on Bay Street, included 20 one-story townhouse rental units, two parking spaces per dwelling, and eight guest parking spots. The developers returned to the commission last week with changes in mind.
Chris Carbaugh of the Atlantic Group and Associates and property owner Eric Davis went before the planning commission at their Wednesday, Sept. 11 meeting to discuss their fresh plans for the space.
Rather than building the 780-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-story townhouse apartments originally intended for Bay Street, the developers plan to construct 12, two-story units, roughly 1,150 square feet. The upstairs will include two master bedrooms with master baths, and the downstairs will serve as the living space, equipped with dining and a kitchen.
The updated design will still incorporate the coastal elements the commission requested last year, including cupolas, covered front stoops, and added concrete back patios.
“The plan would carry the coastal theme that…you guys saw on the one story, and it would be carried to the two stories,” Davis said.
The developers said that since the structure is no longer an apartment complex but a duplex with fee-simple units, they opted to limit parking to two spaces per home. There is also no planned parking on the street. The commission inquired about adding overflow spots to accommodate guests and unforeseen circumstances, to which Davis and Carbaugh were receptive.
“In my world, I do not object,” Davis said. “It would be a matter of Chris letting me know where we could put it.”
The site will include trees on Bay Street between the highway and the complex. Davis and Carbaugh also maintain that the structure will be equipped to handle stormwater management, meaning the developers must control runoff during construction and after.
The Berlin Planning Commission approved the change from the apartments to the 12 duplex units. The commission will meet again on Wednesday, Oct. 9.