REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Some streets in Rehoboth Beach will be getting a much needed make over.
On Monday morning, the Commissioners of Rehoboth Beach had a workshop meeting at 9 a.m. One of their new items on the agenda was reconvening the Wilmington/Baltimore Avenue Streetscape Task Force.
According to the agenda, the Task Force will review and develop aesthetic recommendations including but not limited to the following:
- Theme ideas for each block of Baltimore Avenue
- Intersection Bump Out Design
- Street art/crosswalk
- Green space (trees, vegetation, pedestrian plazas near boardwalk, storm water management green technologies)
- Street lighting/pedestrian lighting
- Bicycle Parking
- Benches
- Trash cans/recycling containers
- Wayfinding signage
- Hardscape/pavers/concrete/utility box art
On Friday, August 18, 2023, the Board of Commissioners voted to award the contract for the Rehoboth Beach Patrol/Public Restroom Facility construction project at the end of Baltimore Avenue.
The vote included three conditions, one of which was to "reconvene the Wilmington-Baltimore Avenue Streetscape Task Force and commit to incorporating their commendations in planning for the landscaping and streetscape at the end of Baltimore Avenue."
Rehoboth Avenue is considered the main avenue in Rehoboth Beach which attracts locals and tourists alike.
This means that some people may not be aware of shops and restaurants like The Ruff Life on Baltimore Avenue.
Owner Sara England has a few ideas of her own that the city could implement. "What if we had signs like this with planters, with flowers or strategically placed in different areas that could have either beach this way, shops that way."
She used this picture she designed to explain her concept.
Picture at The Ruff Life in Rehoboth Beach.
While many shared with CoastTV they are open to the idea of new street art and signs, life long residents like Tyler Judd want to make sure the beautification adds to the modest aesthetic he feels Rehoboth Beach already has, and contributes to its history.
"I really appreciate the idea that I heard they were going to do the different themes, and I think that would be nice," said Judd. "We should keep it minimalistic and be respectful to the history of this place," he continued.
A planning and civil engineering company called the Rossi Group sent in a proposal to the city for them to work with the task force if it brought back again.