REHOBOTH BEACH, DE - The City of Rehoboth Beach has hired their first city planner, Mary Ellen Gray, who assumed her new position on October 23rd. The move comes amid the towns' concerns about managing tourism and maintaining its small-town atmosphere while accommodating new development.
Gray, who previously served as the city planner for Dover and Newark, has now taken on the task of guiding Rehoboth Beach's growth in business and tourism while preserving its distinctive character as a small beach town resort. She says her first order of business' is connecting with city officials, community members, and businesses
“My role is to develop that working relationship, to be a technical resource from a planning aspect, and to be a trusted resource for information. To know the community and know what’s going on in the community," said Gray.
Gray says her objective is to support the city in fulfilling the goals outlined in the comprehensive development plan. The plan is dedicated to preserving water resources, fostering business growth, and retaining small-town ambiance.
While many express concerns regarding the speed of development in Rehoboth Beach, some, like neighbor Michael Tinari hope the new appointment will help manage the town's expansion,
“There is over expansion going on – people are concerned that it’s gonna catch up with Rehoboth Beach, the city itself, the next thing you know in a few years it’s just gonna be Ocean City Maryland, not that there is anything wrong with Ocean City, but Rehoboth has it's own character," said Tinari.
Ryan Pakenas , the owner of Devil Dave's Bloody Mary Shop on Rehoboth Avenue, says it's time to expand with plenty of open space to do so, and is looking forward to the work she does,
“It’s a much needed position here in town, we have a lot of new developments going in, we have a lot of empty space that needs filling so It's great to have a department that handles that specifically," said Pakenas.