Rehoboth board defers on variance

The Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment continued a hearing on a variance request for 32A Pennsylvania Ave. until November or December because the applicant failed to appear in person for the hearing.

Owner William Alexander of Alexander Family Limited Partnership was appealing a building inspector’s decision that he could not replace an existing  HVAC unit in its current location.

Alexander was not present for the board’s Sept. 23 meeting, although he was reached by telephone by a friend, Bob Dickens, who attended the meeting.

After briefly questioning Alexander over the phone, the board unanimously denied his appeal, saying building inspector Terri Sullivan was correct in her ruling.

Alexander next requested a variance to move the unit to the southeast side yard setback, between 32A Pennsylvania and an adjacent property Alexander owns. The board asked Alexander to explore a different location for the unit.

Chairman Tom Evans and Alexander agreed to continue the hearing on the variance until the board’s November or December meeting, whenever the board’s schedule cleared. Evans also told Alexander to appear in person or have a briefed representative on hand to answer questions.