Subdivision of 330 Rehoboth Ave. sent to public hearing

The proposed minor subdivision of 330 Rehoboth Ave. in Rehoboth Beach has been scheduled for a public hearing Friday, Dec. 12, following a preliminary review by the planning commission.

The proposed redevelopment of this property, sitting at the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and State Road, has been on the books since 2019. The lot is about 42,500 square feet, of which about 23,000 square feet along Rehoboth Avenue is zoned C-1 commercial, and about 19,500 square feet along State Road is R-1 residential.

In an effort to pave the way for a four-story hotel, the developer, 330 Hospitality Group LLC, applied to have the residential portion rezoned to commercial. The planning commission denied the request; city commissioners upheld that denial upon appeal.

More recently, during a meeting in June, the city’s board of adjustment approved two variances for the property. The first was related to the continued use of residentially zoned land as a parking lot. The second was related to maximum lot coverage and minimum natural area on the pentagon-shaped residential portion. Both variances are contingent upon the planning commission approving the subdivision of the R-1 portion.

Professional engineer Carlton Savage of Scaled Engineering represented the LLC at the board of adjustment hearing and at the preliminary hearing Nov. 14.

As proposed, the residential space would be subdivided into three parcels – two rectangular single-family home lots facing State Road and one irregularly shaped pentagon that abuts the commercial portion.

Coming in at 50 feet by 105 feet, the two single-family home lots will be a little larger than the typical lot in Rehoboth Beach, said Savage. They will share a driveway, and the Delaware Department of Transportation has provided a letter of no objection, he said.

There were some questions about stormwater runoff because of concerns from the other residential neighbors.

Savage said their land surveys show the lots are angled from back to front toward the street, and he doesn’t expect that to change. There will be less pavement in the future, plus stormwater management will be considered as the lots get developed, he said.

In the end, planning commissioners voted in favor of moving the minor subdivision to a public hearing.

Code update on subdivisions

There was a brief discussion on proposed changes to the zoning code related to land subdivision. Corey Shinko, director of the city’s planning, zoning and development department, led the discussion, which was more of a primer for what’s to come.

No legal authorities will change, said Shinko. This is a modernization of the processes and structure that will standardize completeness, he said.

Planning commissioners didn’t have a copy of the proposed changes to review. Shinko said the proposed changes were to be made available to the planning commission the week of Nov. 17.

Planning Commissioner Nan Hunter said she would like to see some changes made related to timelines and the submission of plans in advance of meetings. There should be some teeth to it, she said.

After the meeting, Shinko said the draft of the proposed changes won't be ready for public viewing until planning commissioners have had an opportunity to provide feedback and comments. After the comments received, there will be more discussion with the planning commissioners about incorporating their revisions into the draft.

Realistically, the public should get its first look at the proposed changes early next year, said Shinko.