COMMUNITY INFO

City Government Local Groups Links

November 27, 2005

RBHA BOARD MEETING

The Rehoboth Beach Homeowners’ Association held its first meeting in several years at All Saints Episcopal Church on Saturday, November 19, 2005.  This will be the site of most Board and General meetings in the future.  The term “most” appears because the December meeting will be held—if all goes according to plan—at Dogfish Head Brew Pub & Eats!  More on that soon.

In an effort to dispel the misbegotten notion that RBHA does not support businesses in the city, this meeting focused on how organization can better interact with commercial interests.  We invited Fay Jacobs, Executive Director of Rehoboth Beach Main Street, as the featured speaker. 

Ms. Jacobs began her talk with a description of the closing of the Rehoboth Pharmacy.  She said its demise was “not on the radar.”  But she said it is just the most recent example of “use it, or loose it.”  She went on to say that the mission of RBMS is to maintain our city as a “home town;” she said that RBHA should have the same mission.  She encouraged homeowners to join RBMS and especially to support the business community.  She made a point of the value of word-of-mouth promotion of downtown businesses.  She suggested that everyone needs to talk to 10 friends—in and out of the city—to tell them how mportant supporting in-town businesses is to maintaining the home town feeling.  The home town atmosphere is an important element of tourism attraction of Rehoboth Beach.  And it is the tourism attraction that prompted your friends to settle here.  So, there is a direct and important link to the success of tourism and our “home town.”

We’ll address this further in the next Newsletter and you can also see more about it in the Minutes to the Board meeting, when they are posted in the Members area of the website.

WALT SPEAKMAN RESIGNS

At the end of last night’s regular Board of Commissioners meeting Mayor Cooper announced that City Solicitor Walt Speakman was resigning effective December 31, 2005 for health reasons.  The Commissioners have started the process to replace the long-time attorney for the city.

CDP IMPLEMENTATION WORKSHOP

Another Workshop to address the process of implementing the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) is scheduled for Wednesday November 30, 2005 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.  This workshop is your opportunity to discuss strategies to improve and maintain the overall character of structures, green space, historic quality, and real estate values within Rehoboth Beach.  There is further information about the 11/30 meeting, including an invitation, details on the purpose of this workshop, and results of the first workshop held November 12, 2005 at http://www.rbhomeowners.com/gov.html .  This important information; even if you can’t make the meeting, you should review these items online!  CDP Surveys are still available and can be completed online; go to http://www.cityofrehoboth.com/

ANOTHER IMPORTANT VARIANCE CASE, AGAIN!

Another Board of Adjustment case involving Epworth United Methodist Church parking lot property will be heard on November 28, 2005.  We first reported to you about this in July 2005  The matter has been cancelled twice.  The Board of Adjustment is going to consider the Atlantic Sands Hotel’s variance request, “not to include the underground parking garage parking square footage space in the FAR (floor area ratio) calculations.”  According to information the RBHA had received the hotel planned a significant expansion of the property through acquisition of the Epworth United Methodist Church parking lot.  Ten additional hotel rooms, a conference center, two restaurants, and more parking are envisioned.  The multi-story structure would be extended to the property line adjacent to the Camel’s Hump Restaurant.  An RBHA representative will attend the meeting to express our opposition.  As we did in July, we urge you to attend the Board of Adjustment meeting to show your support for the RBHA action to oppose this request.  Remember, a strong show of people opposed to such matters can often have the desired persuasive effect.

PAST NEWS FROM THE RBHA

Click on the Date below for prior editions of News from the RBHA.