Rehoboth ordinance aims to preserve town's charm
If Rehoboth’s July 17 hearing on new zoning regulations showed anything, it’s that property owners in Rehoboth Beach are sharply divided and passions are running high.
Speakers for and against the changes offered heartfelt opinions about the effect they will have on property owners.
Still, the mayor and commissioners were nearly unanimous in adopting limits on the footprint of new houses and overall floor area, with tighter regulations on houses with pools that force homeowners to decide whether they want a pool or more living space.
Still to be decided is one of the most contentious proposals, one that ties the number of required parking places to the number of toilets in a house: if a house has three toilets, it must provide two off-street parking places, with one additional off-street spot for every additional toilet.
While many who testified consider the toilet rule ludicrous, by tying the number of toilets to the number of parking spots, city officials are taking aim at large houses rented like hotels. Rehoboth has long had inns, but these new inn-like homes represent new commercial uses in residential neighborhoods. Without regulation, visitors to just a few large houses would take up all the parking on residential streets.
Changes that affect every property rarely please everyone. The newly adopted changes mean many homes in Rehoboth no longer conform to the ordinance; many upgrades, even in homes that are not rented, will require a variance from the board of adjustment.
That’s a time-consuming and expensive process, and meanwhile, some builders and property owners will find new loopholes they can slip through.
We’ve already seen the commissioners pull back from a measure on pools that went too far. This time, after hours of testimony, the commissioners adopted new standards. It’s time to give the new ordinance a chance.
This is a process that for decades has allowed Rehoboth to allow change while preserving its small town charm. That history offers hope these new ordinances will preserve that charm well into the future.
