Dewey demolishes former pizza building
Story Location:
Dewey Beach, DE
United States
With the demolition of the former Seasons Pizza building May 3 and 4, Dewey took its first visible action on a Route 1 property the town purchased more than a year ago.
The building was not habitable and in a state of disrepair, said Dewey Beach Town Manager Marc Appelbaum.
The property, 1503 and 1505 Coastal Highway, was one of two neighboring lots the town purchased in March 2015 for $875,000. Abutting the town hall building on Rodney Avenue, the property had two structures totaling 3,500 square feet. The second lot was previously home to Auntie Anne's Pretzels.
Over the past year, town officials and property owners said the town should use the property to expand town hall’s administrative and police departments, and give the town a presence on Route 1.
For now, the vacant lot will be used by town staff, which Appelbaum said would alleviate parking concerns for town hall visitors. The town manager also said tearing down the structure eliminates a place where unwanted shenanigans can happen.
Appelbaum said he wanted to demolish the building last month, but it took a little longer to line up the proper permits. He said the estimated demolition cost was between $5,000 and $6,000.
“We were going to have to do it at some point, so we might as well do it now,” he said.
As for the second building, Appelbaum said the town is no longer planning to relocate its alderman’s court, as previously discussed.
Those plans have been put on hold for this year because of logistical issues, said Appelbaum, listing off renovation costs and alderman security. The town will wait and move the court office when there’s a clear plan for the new property.
In the meantime, Appelbaum said the town expects to rent a small apartment behind the commercial space of the building to a couple of seasonal employees, and then use the commercial space for town meetings when few are expected to attend.
The commercial space is smaller than the life saving station, but it could accommodate a committee meeting, he said, adding that town commissioner meetings will still be held in the life saving station on Friday nights.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
