The city of Rehoboth Beach is considering what’s next for COVID restricted restaurants now that the summer season is over.
The Rehoboth Board of Commissioners is looking at possible regulation changes around outdoor seating.
The city rented large orange barriers to block off sections of parking off Rehoboth Avenue to allow restaurants to expand their outdoor dining capabilities.
But those barriers come down November 2nd, and with colder weather coming, the city needs to change the way restaurants seat people outside.
Comissioner Susan Gay says she’s looked at what other cities are doing, and found a wide variety of outdoor seating options.
“So I think if we’re looking down the road to establishing a code for the future then getting some expert planning advice would be very useful,” said Gay
Mayor Steve Mills plans to hire a consultant to figure out the best way to allow outdoor seating once the barriers come down.
That includes making sure any option considered meets ADA guidelines.
Building what other cities call ‘parklets’ is another possibility - one Commissioner Jay Lagree wants to learn more about first.
“We need to find out some other people that are doing this, reach out to them, find out what the pros and cons are before we go off on our own and do some planning" said Lagree. "We have some pretty high curbs and those platforms are gonna have to be substantial.”
To create parklets, the city would look at taking over some parking spaces in front of restaurants for the additional outdoor seating. They add this could be a new addition to Rehoboth Beach streets every summer or year round.
Parklets are already in Wilmington and Georgetown - with others planned across the state. Advocates say they foster more community by offering a central spot for people to gather. They also help to slow traffic down, by encouraging drivers to be more careful around them.
