REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.- The Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission has started to discuss alternative parking requirements to meet the needs of a growing city.
Planning Commissioner Susan Gay said the current requirement is in need of an update.
"I do think that code is out of date. Our current requirement is one space per room plus two for the resident family," Gay said.
Some hotel managers said they just barely have enough spaces to manage the load of customers.
"We have an upper garage and a lower garage that is covered for our guests. we have to police that during the summertime. It gets very busy," Brighton Suites Manager Chad Crawford said.
Crawford said they often find themselves in a pinch with more cars than spots to fill them. He thinks overflow parking is a good idea but doesn't know where it could go.
Several new hotels are making their way into the downtown Rehoboth Beach area. Commissioners said since several of the new hotels come with first-floor retail and conference spaces, more parking is needed to address daytime visitors not just overnight guests. Parking problems are something many locals have gotten used to.
"You could have a dinner reservation in downtown Rehoboth and drive around for 45 minutes just looking for parking that is within a mile of walking distance," Renee Foose said.
The Planning Commission is expected to address the issue at the next meeting in February.