Rehoboth looking to limit newsstand locations
Story Location:
Rehoboth Beach City Hall
229 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States
Citing safety, aesthetics and a decade of proliferation, Rehoboth officials have begun looking at ways to limit the number of newsstands on city streets.
During a commissioner workshop Nov. 4, Dennis Jeney, city code enforcement officer, said he was bringing forward the subject because citizens have complained, and there had been a significant increase in the number of newsstands in the past few years. He said the city had discussed the subject in 2011, going as far as drafting an ordinance; in the time since, the number of newsstands had gone from 41 to nearly 120, representing 23 vendors in 29 locations.
They’re a blight on the community, said Jeney.
In addition to the proliferation, Jeney said a lot of the boxes are old, used for trash and generally abandoned. He said the problem is the city can’t even remove the abandoned ones because there’s nothing on the books.
“They just look terrible,” said Jeney.
Using a presentation created for the 2011 discussion as a starting point, Jeney suggested limiting newsstands to five locations, with eight boxes at each location.
Mayor Paul Kuhns said that sounded like a lot, suggesting the city should start smaller.
Jeney provided the commissioners with a number of ordinances communities across the country have enacted. The closest was in Bethany Beach, which built corrals.
Commissioner Richard Byrne said it was a good time for the city to discuss the issues. The new signage program is working on decluttering the streets, and this would fit right in, he said.
City Solicitor Glenn Mandalas said the commissioners had to move forward carefully because newsstands involve freedom of speech issues. He said he’s aware of ordinances that have been crafted, but ultimately struck down.
Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski asked Mandalas if the city would be able to set up a fee structure. Mandalas said probably not.
Chrzanowski asked Jeney if any of the publications with newsstands in the city have a business license or signed a lease agreement with the city. Jeney said the Cape Gazette was the only publication that holds a business license.
At the end of the discussion, the commissioners asked Mandalas and Jeney to craft an ordinance that could be discussed at a future date.
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.
