Dewey cuts back on free parking

Beginning next summer, visitors to Dewey Beach will only have one night of free parking.

Dewey Beach commissioners voted Dec. 15 to begin charging for parking on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Previously, free parking was permitted townwide from 5 to 11 p.m., Monday through Wednesday nights to attract people into town during the week and support the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Monday night movies on the beach and Wednesday night beach bonfires. 

Free parking on Monday evenings excludes federal holidays. The town had also previously allowed free parking on major holidays that fell on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, including Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.

Commissioners are set to discuss a number of other changes to parking, but those were tabled for further discussion.

The agenda had called for possible votes to revise the hourly parking meter rate from $3 to $3.50 and to revise the daily parking permit rate from $25 to $30 in addition to revising the free parking days. These draft ordinances reflect recommendations of the budget and finance committee.

Other possible ordinances whose votes were tabled included revising the hours and dates in which parking fees are in effect, and revising the seasonal parking permit rates.

Commissioners tabled other possible changes because the 2024 fiscal year budget process is just beginning, and they plan to hold a workshop to condense all codified fees into a single fee schedule.