The site plans that would add 24 condominiums across two prominent Lewes Beach parcels received unanimous support from Lewes Mayor and City Council at its March 14 meeting.
White Bucks LLC plans 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 plan is to build 12 condo units on each site.
The vacant lot across from Dairy Queen 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 parking, with an entrance off Alaska Avenue, is proposed to be open to the public, but managed privately, said Rick Quill, the property owner and applicant. He said he would be willing to discuss handing it over to the city if officials are willing to talk about it.
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. Quill 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.
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.
Mayor and city council voted separately on each application, attaching several conditions to both. In order to gain final approval, both plans must include a landscaping plan, clearly identify lighting and provide bicycle parking.
For the Savannah Road project, council is requiring the developer to continue the block facade of the Two Dips building along the entire lower portion of the buildings along Savannah Road.
For the Cape Henlopen project, the developer must work with the city engineer to determine the best use of permeable material, and they must improve the buildings’ architecture to provide privacy to neighbors and better reflect the city’s core values, specifically Lewes’ special and historic relationship to the sea and striving to highlight the city’s heritage through building design and architectural preservation.
With approval in hand, the developer may now move forward with further planning. Final plans will not go before Lewes Mayor and City Council or the city’s commissions. After gaining all necessary approvals from state agencies, the developer may submit final plans to city hall, which will be reviewed for compliance by city staff.