24 condos proposed on two Lewes Beach lots

A local developer is seeking to build 24 condominiums on two prominent Lewes Beach lots.

White Bucks LLC has filed applications to develop the vacant lot across from Dairy Queen at the corner of Savannah Road and Cape Henlopen Drive, and the lot on Savannah Road currently occupied by Two Dips ice cream shop.

The vacant lot would be called Carriage Houses at Cape Henlopen, featuring 12 condos on the 0.6-acre parcel. The lot is currently zoned general commercial. In order to build residential units, the application must contain a commercial aspect. For this site, the developer is proposing up to 13 public metered parking spaces along the property’s Cape Henlopen Drive property line. Metered parking is a permitted use and satisfies the commercial requirement.

The Two Dips site would be called Carriage Houses at Savannah, featuring 12 condo units on the 0.52-acre parcel. The lot is also in the general commercial zone. The developer plans to retain a portion of the existing Two Dips building and add two condos above it. The site would contain 10 other residential units without any connected commercial units.

The applications went before the city’s joint site development committee Feb. 9, with each receiving a recommendation for preliminary approval. Mayor and city council is expected to set a public hearing for each application at its Monday, Feb. 14 regular meeting.

As proposed, the residential units would stand 40 feet tall, the maximum allowed, with elevator shafts and rooftop deck railings extending beyond 40 feet. Underneath all units except the two condos above Two Dips, ground-level areas would be reserved for owner parking. Two spaces are shown on the plans, but three are available if cars are stacked. Above the ground level, each unit would have three levels of residential space and a rooftop deck.

Eric Wahl with Pennoni Associates said the developer is going for a modern coastal theme. The preliminary drawings show white board-and-batten siding with black trim, black metal roofing and cable railings.

Committee member Randy Burton, a local builder, encouraged the developer to rethink the design and consider incorporating elements that embody the city’s history and relationship with the sea, both core values of Lewes.

“I’m not one to throw stones, because I certainly live in a glass house, but I believe you are capable of presenting a building architecturally that is superior to what you have presented here today,” Burton said.

Wahl reiterated that the plans presented were merely conceptual, and said more refined details on the architecture would be brought forward when seeking final approval.

Rick Quill, one of the owners of White Bucks LLC, agreed. He noted that the unique style of the Two Dips building would be incorporated into the overall design, and the buildings on the other site could be altered to satisfy Burton’s concerns.

He said he’s always open and receptive to recommendations and concerns.

“I’ve always involved the neighbors in everything – what we’re trying to do, what we’re trying to accomplish – and  I will continue to do that,” he said.

Quill owns and operates the Blue Water House bed & breakfast on E. Market Street and has developed a few other lots in town over the years.

“This is Lewes, and I feel an obligation to put a really good product up there,” he said. “I’m confident we are going to do that.”

Quill has been working to develop or sell the property across from Dairy Queen for about six years. His original plan was to build a restaurant with condos above on the property, and he had the owners of a popular Lewes restaurant on board. But after listening to neighbors’ concerns, he scrapped the idea. He then sought establish five residential lots on the property and even gained approval to have it rezoned to R-3, residential beach. That plan also did not work out; Quill says he was stonewalled by the city and Delaware Department of Transportation. Due to inactivity, the property reverted back to general commercial zoning in February 2021.

Quill said he offered to sell the land to the city more than a few times to be used for additional beach parking, but officials never took him up on the offer.

Early in the Feb. 9 meeting, committee member Thomas Jensen said he saw no need to develop the vacant parcel.

“We don’t need 12 townhouses there; we just don’t,” he said. “There are a lot of good things you could do with that property, but adding 12 townhouses probably isn’t one of them.”

Jensen’s comments came prior to the applicant’s presentation. He noted that the plan likely met all code requirements, which he later determined it did, and he voted in favor of both applications.

Lewes’ general commercial zoning requires just 5 percent open space. The plans as presented have 21 percent and 19 percent open space, respectively. Landscaping is planned throughout the properties, including around dumpsters and along most property lines.

Quill noted that Two Dips representatives have not indicated whether they’d like to continue operating in the commercial space. He said he’d be happy to have them or another similar business. The goal, he said, is to have a tenant that is not open late to disturb the community and the owners of the new condos.