REHOBOTH BEACH, DE - The City of Rehoboth Beach will have a multi-year strategic plan, utilizing community input, drafted in the coming months, according to city officials.
City Manager Taylour Tedder told WBOC that this is the first plan of it's kind for the city.
Tedder said the first part of the project involves gathering community input to determine areas of interest for the plan. After that, Tedder said they then plan to draft a roadmap on how to accomplish those goals.
The city manager said the community survey portion of the plan is estimated to take around seven months. A final draft of the plan is expected some time next spring.
According to the city manager, four focus groups will be held with community members, as well as one-on-ones with community stakeholders and a community-wide survey. Tedder said the city hopes to begin community engagement and identifying areas of interest for the city by November.
"It could be everything from policies to actual things in the community," Tedder said. "Do we wanna focus more on our green spaces? Do we wanna focus more on being a destination? Do we wanna focus on being the best place to live for residents, or all of the above?"
One neighbor, Karen Levin, works and lives in Rehoboth Beach. She said she hopes parking is a focus.
"I think we need more parking lots," Levin said. "I think there needs to be more free parking. It's very difficult, $4 an hour is kind of a lot."
Levin also said that a project like this one is overdue.
"I think it's time that they kinda heard what everyone that lives here wants to do," Levin said.
Another neighbor, Marianne McGloin, agreed. McGloin said she thinks parking needs an overhaul in the city, and also that there needs to be more to do for all ages.
"Sometimes we forget about the little ones," McGloin said. "It would be very nice and helpful for them to give them something to do. Expand the arts a little bit, expand the music and sports. Activities are really important for them."
City officials said they are conducting this project with Emergent Method, a national management group based out of Baton Rouge. The city's contract with the group is for $28,000.
