Rezoning sought for prominent Lewes Beach property
The owners of the property at the corner of Savannah Road and Cape Henlopen Drive are seeking to rezone the property to residential.
The property contains two parcels, amounting to 0.6 acres of open, undeveloped land. A pizza shop once stood on the parcel, but it was demolished last year.
Mayor and city council sent the rezoning request to the planning commission. It is expected to be considered in March.
Rick Quill, a part-owner of the property, had once envisioned a restaurant on the property and even went so far as to petition city officials to allow second-floor restaurants in the general commercial zone. In September, council added second-floor restaurants to the list of permitted uses via a conditional use.
However, Quill and his business partners had a change of plans and will now seek a residential use for the property.
“We feel it’s an organic, evolving situation down there,” he said. “We feel it’s an honor that we have some control over that property.”
After taking a hard look at the impact of a restaurant on the neighboring community, he said, they determined residential was more appropriate. For a restaurant to be successful in that spot, he said, a restaurateur would likely need to have late-night hours and serve alcohol.
“We feel a restaurant would change the dynamics of that corner significantly,” he said. “That area attracts young families in the summertime … people coming from restaurants are going to Two Dips and Dairy Queen.”
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
