Rehoboth Beach needs public input on Comprehensive Development Plan
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Rehoboth Beach is making progress on its Comprehensive Development Plan, but they need residents’ help to complete it. “We’re still just pulling the draft together. The public review process is really still going strong, and will continue going right through adoption,” said City Planner Tom West.
Delaware requires municipalities to update their plans periodically. The last time Rehoboth Beach updated its plan was in 2010. “Some of the goals and policies are the same, but obviously they’re refined with things that are different, things they’ve achieved, or new trends that have happened,” said West. “It really is designed to provide the foundation for a community to base all its decisions on with programs or regulations.”
Initial drafts for the 2020 plan center largely around best practices with things like water resources, community services, and maintaining the character of neighborhoods. “Rehoboth is talked about as a ‘town within a town’, meaning it has very intact, stable neighborhoods. But, it’s also an active resort community and has a dynamic downtown. So, a lot of the goals and discussions moving forward are about how to balance those objectives,” said West.
Right now, the city is looking for public input on the current draft of the plan, until January 13th. West says public voices are crucial to creating a unified vision for the city moving forward. “The visions are important, and the visions are something that I don’t think any one person can say. Their visions might be different than another’s perspective on it. The only way to really get a successful Comprehensive Development Plan is to have a lot of outreach,” he said.
After the next draft of the plan is put together, it will be sent to the Office of State Planning Coordination by February 1st. A copy will also be sent to surrounding municipalities for input. There will be several more rounds of consideration and redrafting before the Office of State Planning Coordination will certify the plan. West says that’s expected to happen in the summer of 2022.
To provide public input, click here.
