Dewey begins comprehensive plan revision

One meeting into Dewey’s revision of its comprehensive plan and it’s clear what issues will dominate the discussion: preserving the north end’s character, flooding, combining family-friendly aspirations with the vibrant nightlife and finding money for capital improvements.

Volunteering to spend a lot of time on what will likely be a thankless task, Dewey Beach’s 25-member comprehensive plan working group met for nearly five hours Feb. 28 in the town’s life saving station. There are 13 more 5-hour meetings scheduled through the end of October.

David King, committee chair, began the meeting with an overview of how the process will move forward. His tone was matter-of-fact, and he said the new plan will require changes from the current comprehensive plan. These changes mean there will be winners and losers, he said, but the goal is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

An ambitious timeline, created by King, has the first draft of the comprehensive plan done by August, so, he said, it will be a part of the town election cycle in September.

“We know how elections are in Dewey Beach, so hopefully we’ll get some good discussion,” he said.

The state requires municipalities to go through a rewrite of their comprehensive plan every 10 years. After the town finishes the plan, it is submitted to state officials, who vet the plan through the Preliminary Land Use Service review. Once it receives state approval, the comprehensive plan becomes enforceable under law.

King said the new edition of plan will consider the years beyond 2027, when the next comprehensive plan is due. He said the current plan makes no effort to account for the years immediately following its expiration, which he considers a weakness.

Committee members were tasked with reviewing the comprehensive plans of other coastal Delaware towns – Lewes, Rehoboth, Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island – in advance of the meeting.

Many reported the neighboring towns' plans were too boilerplate and looked like they were done to only meet the state requirements. There was a general feeling among the group that Dewey’s plan has the opportunity to be better.

TJ Redefer, Rehoboth Bay Realty owner and a member of the Rehoboth By the Sea family, was the first, but not the last, to bring up the town’s lack of a property tax. The town does a very good job with funding day-to-day management, he said, but it has no mechanism for capital funding.

“We might have a lot of great ideas, but how are we going to fund them?” Redefer asked.

Rob Marshall, longtime resident and owner of Atlantic Oceanside Hotel, said he wants to make sure the process doesn’t eliminate a problem that doesn’t exist. When compared to other beach towns, unsavory late-night behavior is not unique to Dewey, he said.

“We need to recognize what Dewey’s strengths are,” he said. “I believe we are a family-friendly town.”

Planning consultant Chris Fazio, of the Newark-based Remington, Vernick & Beach Engineers, was hired by the town to make sure the plan submitted meets all the state’s basic requirements. He’s worked with the town on a for-hire basis for nearly the past decade, most notably on the overhaul of the planning code definitions that were passed in January.

Fazio attended the meeting, but said he didn’t expect to be back anytime soon. For the next few meetings, he said, it’ll be up to the committee to roll up their sleeves and get some work done.

The next comprehensive plan working group meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, March 26, in the Dewey Beach Life Saving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave.