The Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk Historic Designation Task Force is months from submitting an application for a state historic marker, but not all Rehoboth residents are happy about it.
The taskforce was established last year to pursue state and national historic designations for Rehoboth’s boardwalk.
But some, like resident Tom Gaynor, are against the effort, claiming the city has ulterior motives for seeking the designations.
“The only reason -and I’ve said this repeatedly- the only reason to do these historical designations is [as] a justification for restrictions." he said. "And I hope that the business owners at the boardwalk and the homeowners near the boardwalk hear you. Because to hear you is to know the plan: Restrictions are coming. You’ve seen the history of the city with its tree ordinance: ‘your assets are our assets’"
The boardwalk, originally constructed in 1873, is assumed to qualify as a historic place, but neither the National Register nor state marker program impose any restrictions on alterations or demolition, those would have to come from the City itself.
Rehoboth Mayor Stan Mills, who chairs the task force, says the city hasn’t yet taken any tangible actions.
“All of our meetings to date have focused on education, learning about members personal experiences with past historical marker nominations, and also learning about the application process for the two types of markers. ” he said.
The task force estimates it will be able to submit an application for a Delaware Historic Marker within 4-6 months, and a nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places within a year.
