Recently, several friends who know that I am an advocate for individual property rights have asked me how I could possibly support the incumbent candidates running for commissioner who support more stringent building codes in our residential neighborhoods.
The answer is easy.
Most of the premier communities in the nation, including tourist destinations like Martha’s Vineyard, Charleston, Beverly Hills, Palm Springs, Carmel, and the like have restrictive building and zoning codes in place as safeguards that protect the character and charm of those cities.
Such codes and rules dissuade wanton development and especially the commercialization of residential neighborhoods. Generally speaking, the more desirable the community, the more stringent the restrictive covenants.
Without safeguards in place to preserve and protect unique residential charm and ambience, profiteering proliferates and anything goes. In our neighborhoods, make no mistake; the owners of the new class of group homes with swimming pools do not care one bit about my quality of life or right to peaceful habitation; they’ve proved this to me and my neighbors repeatedly during the last three years. And, I don’t believe they care about yours either.
The problems we as a city and community face today are a direct result of not having the right restrictive covenants in place to safeguard our assets and dissuade abuse and commercial development in our residential neighborhoods. The recently passed new codes were a sorely needed, long overdue first step in the right direction. They may not be perfect, but they’re a good start.
Our family had lived peacefully and in harmony with renters who come year after year for approximately 25 years without incident. Then, about three years ago, a handful of Realtors and developers came upon a formula of building the largest homes they could under existing code that included swimming pools, and commenced operating these properties as weekly group rental businesses.
Rehoboth has always had its share of large homes, and rentals are indeed a way of life here. But the pools were something new added to the rental mix, a real game changer, and the hardships they have created are unprecedented.
During the past few years, we’ve had 10 large group homes with pools built and open for business in the blocks surrounding our home here in South Rehoboth alone. To date, the city has been impotent in solving the noise problem, and the latest version of its noise ordinance falls far short of being effective.
One of the new candidates has stated that our noise problems surrounding pools have already been adequately dealt with. I disagree.
Our newest noise ordinance does not require landlords to inform renters to be mindful of noise generated around pools. It doesn’t require landlords to post any signage to remind tenants to be respectful of their neighborhoods. And, the consequences for violators are weak at best. Any ordinance written without meaningful consequences and specificity is not worth the paper it is written on.
Incumbent commissioners Sargent and Gossett supported the new building codes and ordinances the city recently passed which were crafted to discourage commercial business mega homes with pools from continuing to be built. The other two candidates fought against the new rules, and have no problem with allowing large group homes to be built next door to your home and my home.
Speaking strictly from my own experience, and please trust me on this issue, you don’t want groups of 16 to 24 people (and sometimes more) moving in next door to your house (or 50 feet away as in my situation) and partying around their pool week after week.
Indeed, rumor has it that one of the other candidates is presently building a seven-bedroom group rental property over 6,000 square feet in size and suing the city to allow him to include a pool. If this is indeed true, he’s certainly not who I want representing my stake here as a homeowner and full-time resident.
Are the new rules and regs perfect? Far from it. Would I change some items in the new regs? You bet I would, and in a heartbeat. Thanks to politics, there’s been an awful lot of bogus info spread about the new regs disallowing architectural diversity and charm in homes built under the new rules that is just hogwash.
If I had a question in this area, I’d personally go ask the Building and Permits Department staff directly; to the best of my knowledge, none of our sitting commissioners nor any of the candidates are architectural or construction professionals who are qualified to address these areas with professional specificity.
I cannot vote for a candidate who would knowingly allow and support a large group home with a swimming pool that would accommodate groups of 20 or more to be built next door to my house. For me, it’s an easy choice and that simple.
That’s why I am voting for Sargent and Gossett for city commissioners in next week’s election. Give me protect and preserve over sue me and screw you anytime.
Avrim Topel
Rehoboth Beach
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