REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – In Rehoboth Beach, city officials are considering ways to increase revenue from parking after generating more than $10.5 million from fees last year.
Mayor Stan Mills and commissioners reviewed recommendations from a recent parking study during their meeting on March 10. The study, which included survey results from the Downtown Rehoboth Advisory Task Force, explored potential changes to parking fees and enforcement.
Survey respondents ranked four options for modifying parking regulations. The most favored option, supported by 62.5 percent of participants, was to keep current parking meter fees and the season unchanged. Other options considered included adding weekend fees during the shoulder season at $4 per hour, reducing weekday summer rates, or adjusting weekend and weekday rates throughout different seasons.
The City is still looking at expanding the paid parking season by just a month and a half. From May 1 to September 15, to May 1 - Oct. 31.
Local Linda Day doesn't think that's fair to the people who call Rehoboth home, or to the businesses.
"When they extend that parking season, it it just takes away from us coming down and visiting the shops. I think it's sad," said Day.
A separate question asked whether respondents supported enforcing parking permits in non-metered areas if the meter season is extended. Only 18.75 percent answered yes, while 53.13 percent opposed the idea.
Additionally, the survey found strong support for activating Rehoboth Avenue parking meters during the week leading up to the annual Sea Witch Festival. The proposed hours for enforcement would be Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the possibility of extended hours.
Though Jackie Sapio hopes people use the bus system instead of driving into Rehoboth anyway.
"I think people would be better off learning the DART system and not to have to worry about whether their car was going to be towed or whether their car was in an area where they be ticketed. if you learned the DART system, then you can come here freely, enjoy the festivities and not worry about parking," said Sapio.
Along with activating parking meters ahead of the Sea Witch Festival, there is the possibility of banning overnight parking and having cars clear out of Rehoboth Avenue by 4 p.m. so the city can begin preparing for the festival.
With whatever the City decides to forward with, none of it would be implemented until 2026. In the meeting, Mayor Mills says the City "abandoned" looking at changes for 2025.
Monday's meeting was to discuss possible courses of action. A final decision has not been made.
