‘Loss of a tradition’: Rehoboth’s boardwalk faces growing pains as new hotel and patrol building take shape

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The boardwalk buzzes with the familiar sounds of summer — children laughing, seagulls overhead and the clack of flip-flops on sun-warmed planks. But this year, the traditional charm of Rehoboth Beach comes with an added soundtrack: the clang of metal and rumble of demolition around fenced-off zones where buildings once stood.

“It doesn’t really bother me, but I know my wife’s like, ‘I can’t believe that some of the things are gone. The putt-putt and this, that and the other,” said Rich Van Nordek, a longtime visitor who splits time between Maryland and Lewes. “The putt-putt and then the rooftop … the restaurant up top is gone.”

“When we would come down, we would generally frequently [visit] those places. When I was a child too,” he added.

Van Nordek, like many beachgoers with deep ties to the area, says changes to the boardwalk landscape cut into long-standing family traditions.

“I think it’s going to hurt the experience of the boardwalk. I mean, it’s going to bring new people, but when you take away things that have been here, then you’re losing some of the history,” he said. “For the young kids, that could be a tradition for them to start, but for us old folks, it’s a loss of a tradition.”

Still, he admits there’s an upside.

“It’s going to attract maybe some new people, people that don’t normally come here. Some people want to stay in a new hotel, right? Some people don’t like the older hotels — they want new ones,” Van Nordek said.

A hotel and a headache?

That hotel — part of a redevelopment project called One Rehoboth — will include 60 rooms, ground-floor retail and restaurant space, and underground parking. The project spans a stretch of the boardwalk from Baltimore to Rehoboth avenues and required the demolition of several aging properties, including Grotto Pizza, the Sirocco Motel and Whiskey Jack’s.

“The project itself is called One Rehoboth because it’s 1 Rehoboth Avenue,” said Rehoboth City Manager Taylour Tedder. “All of the existing businesses that are along there will have space there when it’s completed, with Grotto’s Pizza being on the endcap at Rehoboth Avenue.”

But what was supposed to be a quick demolition hit a snag, and a wall of rust.

“They found that all of the metal beams holding it up had rusted out at the ends. So they were just floating there,” Tedder said. “They had to bring in temporary shoring for all three floors … to essentially hold the building up while they’re taking it down.”

That delayed the project just as Memorial Day weekend and the start of the peak tourist season loomed. The city issued a rare exception to its seasonal construction moratorium, citing public safety.

“We do have a moratorium on demolition from May 15th to September 15th,” he said. “However, they found that the building was in much worse shape … and our city code does allow, if myself as the city manager and the mayor agree that it is a hazard to public safety, that we can grant an exception.”

To reduce disruption, the city worked with nearby hotels and businesses to avoid weekend demolition noise and scheduled quiet periods during busy holiday weekends. Demolition will not be allowed to happen from Friday through Sunday, or on Memorial Day.

More than just a hotel

The project isn’t just about luxury lodging. Officials say it’s part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown Rehoboth — attracting new investment, improving public safety and upgrading amenities for both tourists and locals.

“We want to be known for being the summer capital,” he said. “When you have blighted buildings that are empty, that’s not really achieving that goal.”

Just steps from the construction zone, a second major upgrade quietly opened to the public this month: a new Rehoboth Beach Patrol facility.

“This is a really needed improvement,” Tedder said. “It also has expanded restrooms and changing rooms for the public.”

The building replaces an outdated structure that lacked facilities for women and modern lifeguard needs. Now, 80 lifeguards will have proper workspaces, while beachgoers will gain easier access to essential public facilities.

At the same time, DelDOT completed a long-awaited repaving of Rehoboth Avenue — the first in nearly two decades.

“It hadn’t been resurfaced since it was built about 20 years ago,” he noted. “So it looks really great.”

Looking ahead, holding on

Even as Van Nordek and other longtime visitors worry about what’s disappearing, he offers one request to the city.

“Maybe quit taking away some of the old ones, right?” he said. “Let’s improve them. Freshen them up instead of, you know, building new things.”

But others see opportunity in the changes — including Donna Walters, who’s lived in Delaware for more than 40 years.

“When I was younger, there were no traffic lights … and now when I come here, it’s like there’s a lot of change happening in Sussex County,” she said.

Walters, like many locals, understands the trade-off between change and tradition.

“They’re spending money, right? I didn’t see a whole lot of out-of-state plates on the way into Rehoboth. So these people here are Delawareans. They’re enjoying Delaware.”

“It’s changed, and I’m sorry they’re inconvenienced,” she added. “But it’s going to be better in the long run — for the better.”