The Lighthouse Cove Development Company has completed the renourishment of its Rehoboth Bay beach as part of its ongoing mixed-use development in Dewey Beach. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Sussex County provided approval for the beach expansion earlier this spring.
The renourished beach is one of several public amenities to enhance the bayside experience, including a new ADA-compliant public baywalk, a recreational pier and a sunset gazebo, all of which are currently under construction. The baywalk structure will be the first of its kind in Rehoboth Bay and will ensure continued public access to the bay for Dewey Beach residents and visitors, providing a venue for recreational activities such as crabbing, fishing, bird watching, and plant and habitat study. Lighthouse Cove is also exploring a partnership with East of Maui Surf Shop, which would provide guests with kayak and paddleboard rentals, lessons and eco-tours.
The newly restored beach will complement the Lighthouse Cove Event Center, set to open in September. The venue includes 14,600 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event space overlooking Rehoboth Bay, a 4,340-square-foot ballroom, 3,020-square-foot pre-event space for cocktail hours and other gatherings, and nearly 10,000 square feet of outdoor patio space for bayside sunset viewing. The event center will also include state-of-the-art conference room space, making it ideal for professional events.
“The renourishment of this beach along Rehoboth Bay marks another critical step toward the completion of Lighthouse Cove, one of the most exciting mixed-use commercial developments in the region,” said Thomas J. Hanna, president of Harvey Hanna & Associates, the company overseeing the project. “This process will not only help to create a first-class venue for weddings and other special events, but it will also establish a number of amenities and enhanced public access to the bay for decades to come.”
The event center is the latest addition to the greater Lighthouse Cove redevelopment in Dewey Beach, one of the largest private mixed-use resort projects along the mid-Atlantic coastline. To date, the project has provided significant economic benefits to Dewey Beach and the Delaware beaches region, generating nearly $6 million in transfer, property, hotel lodging and accommodations taxes, building permits and other revenues, as well as hundreds of permanent and construction-related jobs, with many more to come.
The project also includes Delaware’s first Hyatt-branded hotel, which opened in October 2013, and a soon-to-be remodeled Lighthouse Restaurant designed by renowned Delaware Beaches interior designer Matty Adler.
The redevelopment is also home to the Residences at Lighthouse Cove – a collection of 83 current and future luxury condominiums, many of which front on Rehoboth Bay, complete with a rooftop pool, on-site garage parking, private balconies, and terraces overlooking Rehoboth Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Construction on the residences’ final phase is expected to finish later this year.
Lighthouse Cove Event Center is now accepting bookings for 2019. For more information, go to www.LighthouseCoveEvents.com and www.TheResidencesDE.com.