Rehoboth board approves Avenue Inn makeover

The Avenue Inn is set for a fall makeover its owners say will breathe new life into the hotel.

The Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment unanimously approved two variances that pave the way for a renovation of the 33 Wilmington Ave hotel.

The variances allow the hotel to relocate 10 parking spaces to a separate lot at 39 Wilmington Ave., renovate and expand the lobby and build a covered driveway at the Wilmington Avenue entrance.

Vince Robertson, attorney for the Simpler and Moore families, owners of the Avenue Inn, said the renovations were in line with the city’s comprehensive development plan and its desire to improve the commercial viability and attractiveness of Wilmington Avenue.

“What we’re looking to do is comply directly with what the CDP says for Wilmington Avenue,” Robertson said. He said the hotel could not do that without variances for parking and for a porte-cochere or porch that will serve as an entrance gate. The 700-square-foot porte-cochere will increase the hotel’s floor-to-area ratio by .04 percent.

“The porte-cochere creates a defined entrance for the hotel property. There’s really not one there now,” he said.

As for the parking, Robertson said the hotel is not adding any additional parking, merely shifting spaces to another lot, which the Simpler and Moore families also own.

The project will cut off access to the hotel from the Rehoboth Avenue side, with the parking spaces there now removed to make way for the expanded lobby. Robertson said this removes a potential bottleneck from Rehoboth Avenue. The traffic flow will also be improved in the Wilmington Avenue side, he said.

“It’s a major step towards revitalization of Wilmington Avenue,” Robertson said.

Co-owner Ken Simpler Jr. said the time was right for the hotel to expand its common areas and improve the parking and look of the Avenue Inn. He said the hotel, which has been owned by the family for four generations, would not be adding any new rooms.

“We would like to make this look a lot nicer,” Simpler said. ‘Every generation I alluded to has done something with this property, whether that’s evolve it or improve it. And my brother-in-law and my sister and I look at this as our opportunity to do something that is timely and would hopefully be a major improvement to the Wilmington Avenue streetscape.”

Robertson said the improvements would start in mid-October. Co-owner Alex Moore said he hopes the project will start Monday, Oct. 15, and finish by Monday, April 1.

Moore, who co-owns the hotel with his wife, Kendra, and Simpler, said overall, he is happy the city looked favorably on the project and happy to continue to make the second block of Wilmington Avenue a more vibrant place.

Robertson had initially asked for an appeal of building inspector Terri Sullivan’s decision to deny the hotel's expansion without addressing the parking. Robertson’s appeal was based on a technical argument against Sullivan’s ruling that hotel rooms constituted dwelling units.

The board denied the appeal, by a 3-2 vote, but approved the two variances.

In granting the variances, Chairman Tom Evans said, “This is a great improvement.”