Rehoboth downtown survey and public meeting set Jan. 17

Rehoboth Beach is receiving a national-level boost for its downtown.

The National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is assisting Rehoboth Beach Main Street in implementing market-driven strategies designed to build a sustainable advantage for downtown Rehoboth through a combination of community engagement, market analysis and organizational positioning.

The goal is to create an even brighter future for the area, which is already a favorite for businesses, visitors and residents alike with one-of-a-kind shops and renowned restaurants right off the Boardwalk.

Downtown Delaware, a resource center within the Delaware Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism, helped facilitate Rehoboth Beach Main Street's selection for the program.

"A strong business community is the foundation of a successful downtown," said Cerron Cade, division director. "The services we provide, including through Downtown Delaware, help Main Street businesses prosper, so they can continue to offer the unique goods and services that make Delaware's downtowns such inviting places for both residents and visitors."

In advance of the visit from National Main Street Center staff, a community survey will be taken to gather opinions about Rehoboth Beach's downtown and how the community would like to see it develop in the future. Survey results and market data will be shared during a technical assistance visit by Downtown Delaware and the National Main Street Center Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 17 and 18. A public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 17, at Rehoboth City Hall, and interested parties are encouraged to attend.

RBMS liaison and founding President Kathy McGuiness, who is also a Rehoboth Beach city commissioner, urges members of the public to come to the meeting.  She said, “Please attend this rare opportunity and direct the future of our wonderful beach resort. This exercise is about partnerships while moving forward together as a united community.”

Longtime year-round business owner and Board President Trey Kraus said, "We are definitely viewing it as an opportunity to determine and plan our destiny, and are so fortunate to have been selected by National Main Street."

"We are pleased to have Rehoboth participate in this program to implement the Main Street approach," said Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center vice president. "It's important that organizations such as Rehoboth Beach Main Street position themselves to be more market-driven and tackle the hard work of downtown revitalization. The refreshed Main Street approach reinforces the value of community engagement and investment, fosters an increased understanding of existing market conditions, and promotes strategy and a results-driven focus for the successful transformation of downtowns and urban commercial districts."

The volunteer-led Rehoboth Beach Main Street program has been reinvigorating downtown Rehoboth since the mid-1990s by encouraging physical improvements, developing a robust schedule of events and promotions, and providing support to small business. The program received the National Main Street Center's coveted Great American Main Street Award in 2009, the highest recognition a local Main Street organization can attain. The award recognizes communities that take a comprehensive, preservation-based approach to revitalizing their commercial districts.