Rehoboth Beach, Delaware has been a wonderful vacation venue for members of our family for more than 60 years. The allure is diminishing.
Like Sussex County, in which it is located, growth and more growth seem to be the guiding planning principles. As I wrote more than four months ago complaining about the ugly transformation of Middletown, DE in New Castle County, I see only commercial and residential development gone awry, seemingly unchecked, in our once favorite beach town.
Build and they will come. That seems to be the mantra.
My wife and I spent three days in Rehoboth Beach last week, finding ourselves incredulous about the number of people on the beach in early May and the number of cars on Route 1 leading into and out of this beach city. The shopping outlets continue to be immensely popular in a state already popular for its lack of a sales tax. Traffic in the summer months is horrendous.
Since this is my second rant about runaway development in the First State, readers may conclude that I am anti-development, anti-change and just plain cranky about our neighbor to the north. Not so.
I simply see no planned development, no thoughtful strategy. Farmland continues to vanish in the face of commercial and residential development. Does anyone care?
Rehoboth Beach has always been special to our family. We feel comfortable there. We have celebrated numerous special occasions at this beach resort. And it is so convenient to Easton.
Our new plan is this: visit Rehoboth Beach only in the fall and early spring. That’s too bad.
Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in political science and journalism and a master of science degree in strategic intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College.
joe diamond says
Perhaps we can learn from Rehoboth,
In the 60s I was a lemming from D.C. . Summer was the time to hit the road for the beaches! Ocean City was packed every summer day. Then we discovered Rehoboth, that garden place up the coast. It was my first understanding that places change as the number of people in them changes. I noticed for the first time what the concept of private property was. I noticed for the first time that the magic of driving was limited by the need to park the magic carpet.
Camping on public beaches became impossible as finding a room became an expensive ritual.
The day I drove every street in Rehoboth and was unable to find a parking space was the last day of beach madness for me. By then the drive through Ocean City had lost any view of the ocean. The high rise hotels made the place just another canyon city. Rehoboth was no longer a fall back summer retreat. Why go ?
Since then the beach towns have shown us what has to be done to get visitors back. Hotels have their own parking. Public parking is connected to some kind of circulator transportation. The O.C. boardwalk trains came first. Park and Ride lots have been established. Merchant malls have been built away from the tourist areas. Some sections of beach have been reserved for public access. Things are getting better…..a little…….and slowly.
A expect some beach town, maybe Rehoboth, to ban cars & traffic, making their streets pedestrian only venues like Williamsburg, Virginia. Maybe Chestertown could learn from how this plays out.
I’m watching & waiting.
Joe
Deirdre LaMotte says
I agree. The state of Delaware, aside from the affluent area west of Wilmington, appears unplanned and is visually ….mostly ugly. What a shame that only those in, say, Greenville, have the benefit of proper planning. Oh well. At least the town of Rahobeth and Lewis remain appealing. Too bad the area
surrounding is like a concrete nightmare. Duck, NC, spent more time planning and it shows. I ‘ve often heard that mid-Atlantic beaches are an “acquired Taste”. Pretty funny.