Rehoboth Beach, Del.- Rehoboth Beach City Commissioners have voted to allow restaurants to expand outdoor dining space.
This decision comes after months of discussion.
Until this week, the maximum patio size was seven hundred fifty square feet. That number is now rising to one thousand square feet-- solely on the property the restaurant owns.
Rehoboth Beach mayor Stan Mills says that outdoor dining is key to the city's economy.
"It became very apparent to the mayor and commissioners that people love outdoor dining," he said. "We wanted to look at other opportunities."
But this new expansion does not apply to all restaurants. It only applies to private property, not sidewalk seating that was allowed during the pandemic.
Kaisy's delights owner Theirry Langer wants to expand his outdoor seating, but under current regulation, he cannot do so.
"Outdoor dining should not be restricted," he said. "It should be expanded as much as possible."
If a business has the room to expand and wants to do so, they have until November 1st to bring their plans for growth to the city commissioners.
