Rehoboth board OKs Avenue Inn variances
Plans for a 28-room expansion of the Avenue Inn moved forward Oct. 27 when the Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment granted two variances key to the design of the building.
The board approved a second stair tower to serve the proposed addition. The board also granted a variance to allow the hotel to encroach into a required 30-degree building stepback line by 3.5 feet.
The Avenue Inn’s proposed extension would add new retail and restaurant space in addition to more rooms. Owner Avenue Inn Associates LLC purchased the adjacent properties, which formerly housed Cypress restaurant and Planet X Cafe, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. The buildings on those properties could be demolished as early as Monday, Nov. 17.
David Hutt, attorney for the Avenue Inn, said the project is in line with the city’s comprehensive development plan to reinvigorate the Wilmington Avenue commercial district.
Architect Jeff Schoellkopf said the variances were related to appearance of the building and said the encroachments into the stepbacks were relatively minor. In July, the Avenue Inn was granted variances to allow the project to exceed the lot coverage and floor-to-area ratio requirements.
Schoellkopf said the stepback and tower variances were not requested at the first hearing because neither issue arose until August, when the project went before the planning commission for site plan review.
The planners will hold a public hearing on the site plan at 12:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31.
Hutt said a second stair tower, which is forbidden under the city code, would be safer for both workers and the public. Hutt cited a letter from the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company in favor of a second stair tower, and no one at the hearing was quite certain why the city forbids hotels having two stair towers. Hutt speculated it may have been to prevent a canyon effect of tall buildings lined up together.
Hutt said the expansion was an appropriate use of the property, which is zoned commercial and has been endorsed by neighbors, Rehoboth Main Street and the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce. He said not granting the variances would present an exceptional practical difficulty in complying with the comprehensive plan.
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
