The following letter was sent to the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Rehoboth Beach with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
We have never had the pleasure of meeting in person, but my name is Roseann Roccaro, co-owner of 32 Olive Ave. in Rehoboth Beach, along with my spouse Maritza Borges.
Maritza and I have been coming to Rehoboth Beach for the last 10 years as summer vacation renters during the Memorial Day weekend and instantly fell in love with the people, the beaches, the restaurants and all this quaint town has to offer. It is like no other place we have ever been to, and we assure you we are well traveled.
It has been incredibly eyeopening to experience families coexisting with the gay community, almost a microcosm of what the world could learn to become someday. A small progressive resort town in Delaware ahead of its time. There is something about working in New York City 60 to 70 hours a week, but when I come to Rehoboth Beach I feel calm, relaxed, euphoric, but most of all I feel at home. For most of these reasons we decided to take the plunge in October 2012 and purchase property in Rehoboth Beach so in 20 years we can be positioned (God willing) to retire here in our dream home where our current state of New Jersey does not afford us the same opportunity with the astronomical rising property taxes.
We have absolutely fallen in love with our 1950s cottage and decided we wanted to keep the landscape of Rehoboth intact by not increasing the number of bedrooms or adding more bathrooms, simply upgrading and decorating the house in a contemporary manner while ensuring the charm of the home remained. On several occasions, various residents in our neighboring area complimented us on the beautiful job we have done enhancing the property.
Last year, we decided to install an underground pool/spa as an amenity to enhance our renters’ stay along with providing an experience to families with small children and the elderly who may find going to the beach not as easy or convenient or even dangerous. During this time period we also have not had any noise complaints. In all the renovations we performed over a two year period, all permits were filed timely and building ordinances adhered to accordingly. We were in complete compliance with the City of Rehoboth Beach.
I implore you to rethink some of the regulations you are considering passing and the far-reaching financial impact they will have on the Rehoboth Beach economy, especially rental businesses, the construction industry, the restaurants, the bars, the small retail stores, the retail outlets, the water parks, the neighboring amusement attractions, etc., all predicated on visitors and tenants vacationing in Rehoboth Beach to thrive.This is not about profit margins, but making sure the vitality of our nation’s summer resort capital is not extinguished.
Please give the noise ordinance and good neighbor brochure a chance to work before passing stricter measures on pools and spas. Please remember you also represent our rights; we are vital contributors of this community as well and I think all measures should be exhausted before such extreme measures as locking down pools, banning residential rentals altogether or changing the zoning to only allow rentals in certain neighborhoods or having a lottery with only a limited number of rental licenses available per season. All of the aforementioned tactics ultimately discouraging people from renting at all.
If these regulations are in fact passed, we cannot afford to keep our home if not subsidized by rental income. Are we then expected to sell our home or possibly foreclose? If rentals will be allowed in certain neighborhoods, how practical is it for us to simply sell our property after investing so much into it to buy in a different neighborhood? These do not seem like practical solutions to community issues but the beginning of significant economic hardships for rental property owners.
Lastly, we vehemently disagree with the statement Lorraine Zellers quoted, “While we are a vacation community, we are residential community first.” A residential community cannot exist without economic stability afforded through job creation, which is what the vacation rental community provides. We need to learn to coexist with one another; and not to the detriment of one community over another after all, the one common thread that unites us is our love for the City of Rehoboth Beach. Please, I implore you to reconsider your position on these issues on June 19.
If you would like to reach us my email address is roey72@hotmail.com.
Roseann Roccaro & Maritza Borges
Rehoboth Beach
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