14 - CAPE G ZETrE, Friday, September 13 - September 19,1996
Rehoboth Planners keep chipping away at Long Range Plan
By Trish Vernon
From lot coverage restrictions and better
emergency planning to sprucing up the
commercial district and allowing people to
work out of their homes, the Rehoboth
Beach Planning Commission is endeavor-
ing to cover a lot of ground as it continues
efforts to encode the recently adopted Long
Range Plan.
Each member of the Planning Commis-
sion has taken on the task of identifying pri-
orities close to their heart and fashioning
workable proposed ordinances and policies
to be presented to the Board of Commis-
sioners for its consideration.
During their latest meeting on Sept. 9, the
Planners focused in on measures presented
by Planners Bob Scala and Alan Garey.
However, at the outset, it was noted that
they consider a restriction on lot coverage
and partitioning of lots, two of Planner Pat-
ti Shreeve's primary concerns, to be of ut-
most importance.
In her letter to the editor (see page six)
Shreeve reiterates the
Planning Commis-
sion's quest to pre-
serve neighborhood
character by requiring
a certain amount of
green space on every
residential lot and, es-
pecially on the north
side of town, splitting
large lots into minimal
SHREEVE
50 by 100 foot parcels.
In the latter instance,
the owners often move the structure to one
lot and either sell off or build another often
larger house on the newly formed lot,
which results in higher density.
With the Planners vowing Sept. 9 to have
a draft ordinance regarding lot coverage
ready for consideration by the commission-
ers within the month, Shreeve is calling for
formation of a Neighborhood Preservation
Architectural Review Board, as called for
in the Long Range Plan (LRP). such a
board would oversee major renovation and
new construction in residential areas, re-
quiring foremost that any building would
compliment rather than conflict with the ex-
isting streetscape.
The proposed Historic Preservation Ordi-
nance (HPO) which was shifted back to the
Board of Commissioners and shelved, ad-
dresses these concerns. However, detrac-
tors believe it would add an expensive and
unwieldy layer of bureaucracy to city gov-
ernment.
Planning Commission Chairman Mary
Campbell told fellow members Sept. 9 that
Commissioner Jan Konesey has advised
that rather than the city consider the HPO as
drafted, the Planners work some of its
tenets into its neighborhood preservation
encoding of the Long Range Plan provi-
sions.
Scala reports on preparedness
Scala, having emphasized in the past that
the Planners would emphasize priority one
items of the LRP action plan, but would al-
so devote their energies to matters of partic-
ular concern such as lot coverage, said Sept.
9 that he has shaped his reports into draft
form for the commissioners. They include
reports on upgrading of emergency pre-
paredness, determining the city's exact geo-
graphical boundaries and a focus on trans-
portation and traffic concerns.
He told fellow Planners that their recent
monitoring of Hurricane Edouard "height-
ened awareness that there is a lack of plan-
ning, although this is considered a level
three priority in the LRP. "However, this is
highly topical and of personal interest,"
said Scala, who has been involved with city
officials in monitoring these storms' threats
to the Delaware coast.
The city's present emergency plan "isn't
equal to the task and doesn't recognize con-
temporary technology," he explained, with
no provisions for feed-
ing and housing those
evacuated, or satellite
information reception.
Planning on a coun-
ty and state level leave
something to be de-
sired as well, Scala
noted, pointing to the
fact that officials want-
ed to meet with city SCALA
representatives in
Bethany Beach on Saturday afternoon of
Labor Day Weekend to discuss - a time
when traffic on Route One was at its peak -
as an example of poor planning.
The Planners supported Scale's idea to
form a task force comprised of himself,
Planner Chris Quill and Assistant City
Manager Martin Dusbiber to review the ex-
isting plan, make needed revisions, includ-
ing better coordination with other coastal
towns, and prepare a budget to be presented
before the city adopts its budget for the next
fiscal year in March. They will ask Mayor
Sam Cooper to support the idea and appoint
the committee.
Scala then turned his sights on city
boundaries, noting "our territorial limits are
actually not what are shown in the maps."
He recalled that, having served on the an-
nexation committee when the LP was being
fashioned, that there was a consensus the
maps are incorrect and that an attorney
would be needed to decipher Rehoboth
Beach boundaries. That work was never
completed.
Scala was given the go ahead from the
Planners to present his recommendation at
tonight's (Sept. 13) Commissioner's meet-
ing, that the city ascertain its boundaries be-
fore even thinking of future annexation of
land.
Transportation a vexing concern
Scale's third area of concern, "one of the
most vexing issues facing Rehoboth
Beach," is traffic and transportation. He
believes that the Parking Advisory Com-
mittee formed earlier this year, in concert
with Rehoboth Main Street, should work to
initiate the following actions:
• Set up the mechanism for an end of sea-
son review of the permit system (which the
advisory committee has been mandated to
do.)
• Set up a similar mechanism for review-
ing the parking meter system.
• Serve as the focus for information gath-
ering and evaluation by outside experts.
• Set objectives for 1997, realizing that
all concerns can't be addressed in one all-
encompassing action.
Parallel to that, Scala suggested the may-
or and commissioners form a separate
working group with Main Street input to
provide current capital cost and operating
expense estimates for a parking garage as a
long range option. The group, with police
assistance, would also look at the LRP rec-
Continued on page 15
Rehoboth ,.Vlain Street looks to boost membership, revenue
By Trish Vernon
Fattening the membership roster and
bank account are the fledgling Rehoboth
Beach Main Street's foremost goals and
members of the board of directors zeroed in
on ways in which to accomplish these tasks
at their Sept. 11 monthly meeting
With approximately 130 business people
having joined the cause to revitalize and
improve downtown Rehoboth Beach,
Membership Committee Chairman Alan
Garey said the first order of business will be
to hold a "business after hours" party the
evening of Sept. 23 at the Boardwalk Plaza
for all Main Street members and prospec-
tive members. "It will be an opportunity to
interact and have the committees (design,
economic restructuring, membership and
promotion) explain their purpose and seek
volunteers.
The board also nailed down its policy on
pro-rating membership dues, deciding that
those who join at a time other than when
annual dues are renewed by June 15 would
pay only through the end of that year.
Garey also presented the board with a
preliminary proposal that could enable
Main Street to raise as much as a quarter of
a million dollars for its coffers. He an-
nounced that he would not be conducting
his Twin Capes Nature Tours any longer
due to the cost of operating a corporation
separate from his Wild Birds Unlimited and
marketing costs, along with the insurance
concerns.
"However, those who took the walks
seemed very satisfied, but were operated on
the wrong order of scale and through a prof-
it, versus a not-for-profit entity," Garey ex-
plained.
Under Main Street's umbrella, as part of
each walk, participants would be asked to
become a "Friend of Rehoboth Beach" with
part of the incentive
being a 5 percent dis-
count at participating
retailers and restau-
rants. Lodging estab-
lishments would pro-
vide complimentary
walking tour tickets
for all of their guests
or one in each party to
entice them to partic-
ipate and the mer- GAREY
chants would offer the
discounts.
Tours would be offered daily out of the
proposed information kiosk the city plans
to incorporate into the new Delaware Av-
enue restrooms (with hopes Main Street and
the Chamber of Commerce will work in
unison to man the booth). The tours would
be of varied length and oriented around
such subjects as nature, the beach, architec-
ture, art and gardening and led by volun-
teers with adequate training. The cost to
the public would be $3 to $8, depending up-
on the length and topic of the tour.
Each person checking into a lodging fa-
cility would receive one complimentary
ticket purchased from Main Street for $1
each by the REALTOR, motel or rooming
house. It is their decision to either pass the
cost on to the customer or absorb it.
There were a variety of concerns ex-
pressed, including where they would find
the necessary volunteers, with the board de-
ciding to review the plan and put it on the
October agenda.
Too many promotions?
Dave Ackerman, chairman of the promo-
tion committee, reported on his meeting
with Cuffy Sullivan, Delaware's new Main
Street program associate, noting he was
told that Rehoboth's organization may not
be "directed enough. I was told perhaps we
should be involved in only two events per
year rather than pick up events which failed
to make money for others, and concentrate
on image promotion 12 months of the year.
Main Street should facilitate and support
other organizations' events and not admin-
ister them."
President Kathy Kramedas reminded
Ackerman that technically, Main Street on-
ly sponsors one event at present, the Flower
Festival/Art in the Park. The Chocolate
Festival is moved from organization to or-
ganization each year, and next spring's
March of Dimes WalkAmerica and Arthri-
tis Foundation Mini-Grand Prix are funda-
mentally organized by those respective
charitable groups.
Kramedas went on to note "We need as
many off-season events as possible," with
Ackerman noting that Sullivan stressed
they look more toward what they want to
accomplish and sponsor events which are
more advantageous to Main Street itself.
The newly appointed chairman of the
Economic Restructuring Committee, John
Kleitz, explored the variety of tasks with
which he may be saddled, including recruit-
ing a complimentary mix of businesses to
the downtown area. Fellow board member
Bill Richardson advised him "to be creative
- color outside of the lines," as each com-
mittee head is expected to present its work
plans to Sullivan by Dec. 1.
Fireworks committee at work
Kramedas reported that her July Fourth
fireworks committee is going great guns
and she hopes to be on the October Re-
hoboth Board of Commissioners agenda
with a plan to return fireworks to the resort
on Fourth of July after a more than a decade
hiatus. After Garey presented his various
Planning Commission proposals involving
the downtown area designed in an effort to
implement the Long Range Plan for Main
Street input, he introduced the suggestion
of a "parking pledge."
In a memo to fellow Main Street mem-
bers, Garey advised that the pledge could
be circulated to all downtown business
owners, with the idea that the owner and the
business's employees would sign a vow
promising not to park in front of businesses
at any time of the year.
"I realize that summer is almost over, but
that means that the holidays are rapidly ap-
proaching and if shoppers knew they could
park in front of or nearby the business they
wanted to patronize, they may be-more
willing to bring their businesses to the Main
Street District," he explained.
Garey's concept was met with mixed
emotions, as in the off season vehicles
parked nearby indicate that a merchant may
be open, thus luring more business. This
and other proposals will be revisited at the
next board meeting, slated for 5:15 p.m.,
Wednesday, Oct. 2.
