Dewey Board of Adjustment approves several variances
The Dewey Beach Board of Adjustment approved three requests for variances from the town code Nov. 5.
The first two requests were submitted by Heather Morrison, architect of record, for 1601 Coastal Hwy., located at the corner of Read Avenue and Coastal Highway, the former location of Grotto Pizza.
One was to permit the installation of impervious material, as well as the permitted pervious material, for a driveway and parking area for a mixed-use residential and commercial structure. The other was to permit the construction of four enclosed residential garages on the first floor of the mixed-use structure.
The town prohibits the use of impervious material for any ground-level surface or any other structure not directly under a roof. However, according to GGA Construction, which conducted several tests at the site, given the depth of the water table in this particular area, pervious material would be ineffective and would not enhance stormwater management.
The property is in a particularly low-lying area, said Town Building Official Daune Hinks. Read Avenue is one of the town’s most frequently and severely flooded streets, particularly on the bay side, where this property is located.
After a lengthy discussion, the board approved the request in a 3-2 vote, determining the applicant showed exceptional practical difficulty and that normal solutions under code would be ineffective in this particular case.
The board also approved the applicant’s request for the four enclosed residential garages.
The third request was submitted by Tamir Ezzat, AOR for 112 St. Louis St. It was a request to permit an egress stairway to extend 37 inches into the 8-foot side-yard setback.
The stairwell was built on the side of the home rather than the rear for drainage reasons to allow a gravel dry well to be built in the rear yard. Its width is the minimal width possible, according to Ezzat.
Several of the homeowner’s neighbors signed a petition to the town to permit the variance.
The board approved it with the condition that the homeowner keeps the rear-yard gravel dry well.
Ellen McIntyre is a reporter covering education and all things Dewey Beach. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State - Schreyer Honors College in May 2024, then completed an internship writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2023, she covered the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as a freelancer for the Associated Press and saw her work published by outlets including The Washington Post and Fox Sports. Her variety of reporting experience covers crime and courts, investigations, politics and the arts. As a Hockessin, Delaware native, Ellen is happy to be back in her home state, though she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She also loves live music, reading, hiking and spending time in nature.
