Hotel, coffee house planned for former 2 Dips location
Jim Owen cannot wait to see his dream come true in Lewes. He is buying the former 2 Dips location at 209 E. Savannah Road from longtime owners Carl and Lora Wagner.
Owen has big plans. He has a proposed building a 16-room hotel called The Beach House of Lewes with a detached coffee house on the same property. The hotel would be a little less than 10,000 square feet, while the coffee house is 862.5 square feet.
“I want it to look like it’s been in Lewes forever,” said Owen enthusiastically, referring to his desire to have the new building fit into the historic feel of Lewes. The preliminary site plan shows a cedar roof deck and honey yellow doors.
When the 2 Dips building was constructed decades ago, Carl Wagner’s father ran a “boatel” or boat hotel used to store boats. Carl’s brother then turned it into the popular ice cream shop that closed in 2021.
“The building has been in the Wagner family for decades. I asked their permission to tear it down. Carl said it would be emotional, but said yes,” Owen said.
In 2022, a plan from a different developer was submitted to build a 12 condominiums on the 2 Dips site, but it never came to fruition.
Last year, Owen and his wife Jana bought the Savannah Inn, just up the road from the proposed new hotel. They moved to Lewes from Wilmington four months ago with their four young children.
They are owner-operators of the Savannah Inn and plan to be the same at the new hotel.
Owen said he hopes to find a local operation to run the coffee shop.
Owen sells pacemakers by day. Jana manages rental units and has a background in interior design.
“The rooms are a blank canvas,” Owen said. “Most will be two bedrooms, with a washer-dryer and kitchenette so people can have longer stays.”
As for the outside, Owen said there will be a pool, fire pit and natural plants.
“We want to have people who stroll and ride their bikes come and relax,” Owen said. “I’ll be the guy walking around always talking to people.”
The preliminary site plan is moving through the city’s approval process. The next step is a planning commission public hearing at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18, at the Rollins Center.
If approved, Owen said the hotel and coffee shop would likely open in 2025.
