Bethany Beach on track to ban tents and canopies, with support from public survey

Bethany Beach is on track to be the third Delaware beach town to ban tents and canopies.

At a workshop meeting on Dec. 12, the town council voted to authorize its Charter and Ordinance Review Committee to draft an ordinance to do just that.

"I don’t see any practical way of coming up with a solution that makes everyone happy other than banning the use of canopies," said Jerry Morris, town council member.

The ordinance, which is set to be introduced at a workshop meeting in January, would ban all tents, canopies and umbrellas bigger than 8 feet in diameter. The vote passed 6-1 with only Lew Killmer voting nay.

The ordinance would allow umbrellas 8 feet in diameter or smaller and baby tents 36 inches by 36 inches by 36 inches. 

Bethany Beach sent out a survey to gather input from the public on the potential ban. A total of 1,253 people responded.

Of those, nearly 90 percent of responders said they used an umbrella to shade themselves on the beach, 8.62 percent said they used a canopy and 5.43 percent used a tent.

Those who responded could pick more than one item.

Of those who responded, 73.58 percent of people said tents should be banned and 70.55 percent of people said canopies should be banned.

Nearly 17.5 percent of responders said there should be no ban.

Bethany Beach's decision came after similar bans were enacted in Rehoboth Beach and Fenwick Island.

BACKGROUND: Bethany Beach mulls own tents, umbrellas ban

Killmer, the lone council member to vote against sending the proposal to the Charter and Ordinance Review Committee, said since about 90 percent of people use an umbrella and roughly 9 percent of people use a canopy, he wonders if Bethany Beach is trying to "fix a problem that doesn't exist."

"Why are we creating all these regulations for our beach?" he asked.

Killmer said he wants the ordinance to begin in 2019, not 2018, so that the public could be educated on the ban.

However, most did not feel that way.

The ban should be enacted in 2018, not 2019 as Killmer wanted, said Jack Gordon, Bethany Beach mayor, because he felt it should not be delayed until then.

"All we need is education," he said. "We need signage. We need to let Realtors know what the problem is."

Over 70 percent of those who responded to the survey saw tents and canopies as an issue, Gordon said, and he has seen the use of tents and canopies expand.

The use of canopies and tents will only become "more and more of a problem" if they don't act now, he said.

Town councilman Patrick Sheplee said he was influenced significantly by the results of the survey.

However, he said he still struggles with canopies since they are often used by the elderly, kids and people with disabilities and, if they don't have sides, they don't block the view.

Canopies, he said, should be allowed if they are no larger than 8 feet by 8 feet.

"So I would like to continue the discussion of having a compromise of having canopies limited to 8 feet," he said.

Bethany Beach is going to have a bigger beach this year because of beach replenishment, Gordon said, so it may seem like there would be more room for tents and canopies.

However, the town had a wide beach a couple of years ago, he added, which shrunk to its current size because of storms, which now makes it difficult for tents and canopies to be used.

More bans to come?

At this time, Ocean City is not considering a tents and canopies ban, said Jessica Waters, Ocean City public information officer.

"The beaches in Ocean City are quite different than the beaches in Delaware, as they are much longer and noticeably wider," she said in an email.

Dewey Beach, to Bethany's north, also does not have any sort of tent and canopy ban on its horizon, confirmed T.J. Redefer, the town's mayor.

Dewey Beach enjoys the family-friendly environment, Redefer said, and they understand the problems that come along with tents and canopies.

"So far, we have not seen the issues other towns have seen," he added. "At the moment, we are not considering any ordinance in that area, but it is on our radar and hope that people continue to be the good stewards of our beach they have been."

On Twitter @hughesg19

Survey Results