Rehoboth debates restaurant size limits
Tension was thick as Rehoboth Beach Commissioners discussed issues regarding restaurant zoning laws at their monthly workshop meeting, Monday, Aug. 8, at the Volunteer Fire Company.
Currently, the city has a 5,000-square-foot cap on the size of restaurants, with a 2,500-square-foot limitation on the dining room and bar area. Commissioner Paul Kuhns questioned whether or not the cap, which has been in place for decades, is the right decision, arguing that restaurants would benefit from extra space — but only if they are also granted more space to seat patrons.
"The issue needs to be tackled as a whole," he said. "It doesn't make sense to allow restaurants to expand to some 10,000 square feet but say that the dining room can only be 2,500 square feet. That is counterintuitive. Restaurant owners are people looking to make our community a better place. We need to help them, not hurt them."
Mayor Samuel R. Cooper disagreed with Kuhns, saying the current regulations on restaurants that serve alcohol will keep Rehoboth Beach's charm intact.
"I don't want this place turning into another Dewey Beach," he said.
Since 2006, at least 13 restaurants have appealed the ruling with the City of Rehoboth Board of Adjustments. Some dining establishments have been granted, "extra wiggle room," said Commissioner Kathy McGuiness, while others have not.
"The Board of Adjustments has asked the City Commissioners for clarity on what is acceptable ... what is actually included within the 5,000 square feet limit," she said.
The issue of narrowing down that definition, and deciding whether or not it will remain in effect, has been on the table for months.
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At the Aug. 8 morning workshop, several restaurant owners testified that the current regulation on size could limit their profits.
Jeff Hamer, founder of Arena's Deli and owner of Fins Fish House & Raw Bar asked the mayor and commissioners to "give restaurant owners a chance."
"The only way to financially succeed is by having enough seats, not by increasing square footage," he said. "You're telling us that you don't want riots but I see them every weekend — every time a hungry family with three little kids has to wait an hour and a half for a table."
Also discussed at the Monday morning meeting was the subject of brewpubs, dining establishments which also make, bottle and sell alcohol on site.
Mayor Cooper strongly opposed them, saying that, essentially, Dogfish Head was the exception. Even so, the money-making powerhouse was forced to relocate operations to Milton in 2014. Cooper argued such "manufacturing companies," will attract a younger, rowdier crowd, and encourage corruption, crime and disorderly conduct in the streets.
READ MORE:Dogfish Head booted out of Rehoboth
Commissioners McGuiness and Kuhns disagreed.
"There are plenty of small, quaint towns embracing the brewery movement," Commissioner Kuhn said. "Let's look at ones already doing it the right way."
There is no timetable of when a decision will be made regarding these dilemmas. The City Commissioners will meet again next month.