HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR, 945

the Mayor and City Council of Ocean City shall have the
power to regulate and restrict the height, number of
stories, and size of buildings and other structures, the
percentage of lot that may be occupied, the size of yards,
courts, and other open spaces, the density of population
and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land
for trade, industry, residence, or other purposes.

157 (b) For any or all of said purposes in the fore-
going section, said Mayor and City Council of Ocean City
may divide the municipality into districts of such number,
shape and area as it may deem best suited to carry out the
purpose of this Act; and within such districts may regu-
late and restrict the erection, construction, reconstruction,
alteration, repair, or use of buildings, structures or land.
All such regulations shall be uniform for each class or
kind of buildings throughout each district, but the regu-
lations in one district may differ from those in other
districts.

157 (c) Such regulations shall be made in accordance
with a comprehensive plan and designed to lessen con-
gestion in the streets; to secure safety from fire, panic and
other dangers; to promote health and the general welfare;
to provide adequate light and air; to prevent overcrowd-
ing of land; to avoid undue concentration of population;
to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation,
water, sewerage, schools, parks, and other public require-
ments. Such regulations shall be made with reasonable
consideration, among other things, to the character of the
district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses,
and with a view to conserving the value of buildings and
encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout
such municipality.

157 (d) The Mayor and City Council of Ocean City
shall provide for the manner in which such regulations
and restrictions and the boundaries of such districts shall
be determined, established and enforced, and from time
to time amended, supplemented, or changed. However, no
such regulation, restriction, or boundary shall become effec-
tive until after a public hearing in relation thereto, at
which parties in interest and citizens shall have an oppor-
tunity to be heard. At least 15 days' notice of the time and
place of such hearing shall be published in a paper of
general circulation in Worcester County.

157 (e) Such regulations, restrictions and boundaries
may from time to time be amended, supplemented, changed,