Demolition of Sirocco Motel nearing completion

Facing the Friday, June 27 deadline of their second extension on a demolition permit, the development group of the One Rehoboth Avenue Hotel in Rehoboth Beach is expected to meet that deadline to complete demolition of the former Grotto Pizza and Sirocco Motel on the Boardwalk. 

The new hotel that will be built on the property will include 60 rooms and stretch the width of the block from Rehoboth Avenue to Baltimore Avenue. It’s being built by Grotto Pizza and Pennsylvania-based real estate developer Onix Group.

The footprint of the new hotel includes Grotto Pizza and the former Dolle’s Candyland property on the Boardwalk, the Sirocco Motel on Baltimore Avenue and Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard on Rehoboth Avenue.

There’s an annual code-mandated moratorium on demolitions that runs May 15 to Sept. 15. Demolition of the motel and the restaurant began April 21. Three days before this year’s moratorium was set to begin, the city announced it was allowing demolition to continue until June 13 due to the safety concerns associated with the work. Then, in a statement June 5, the city announced it had granted a second extension on the demolition that runs through June 27.

Jonathan Silver, Onix Group vice president, said they don’t anticipate requesting another extension and expect demolition to be completed this week. The crew is in the process of removing the final pieces of debris, he said in an email the morning of June 25.

Looking forward, Silver said, now that the buildings are down, the plan is to begin some minor exploratory subsurface work shortly after the Fourth of July holiday. After that, he said, the plan is to move forward with demolition of the remaining buildings in the fall.