REHOBOTH BEACH, DE -- On Friday, officials confirmed the Rehoboth Beach planning commission voted unanimously to approve plans, with several conditions, for the proposed Belhaven Hotel.
The meeting began with a public comment session. Several people expressed their concerns or full support for the hotel plans.
The commission then made a motion to approve plans for the Belhaven Hotel, but not before stating conditions that the applicant must meet at the federal, state, and local level. Officials then added more than ten amendments to the motion including changes to the hotel's parking spaces and loading zones. Commissioners approved the project with the amendments.
The hotel is something beachgoer Cathy Boyne has long looked forward to.
"I think having more places to stay, especially close to town or in town is really important for Rehoboth," says Boyne. "As long as it's done tastefully and it fits in with the character of Rehoboth Avenue, I think it's appropriate."
The four level hotel would include 92 hotel rooms to be built directly above Candy Kitchen, 94 underground parking spots, ground level retail shops, a hotel ballroom, a restaurant, swimming pool and more.
Salem Clouse says she's totally against. She, like many others, worries the hotel would change the look and feel of Downtown Rehoboth.
"There's already so much here," says Clouse. "There's already beautiful places to stay and Airbnb's of people that live here, so I think there's better ways to support the community than building something so large."
Several commissioners praised the project and noted that they must do their jobs and enforce codes.
Developers must make changes to the hotel plans based on the approved amendments to proceed. The applicant and developers have not determined what they plan to do next.
According to planning commissioners, there is another avenue the applicant can take to try to build the hotel. The city's board of adjustment can grant them a variance if they cannot meet the minimum zoning code requirements.