By Daniel Divilio
DEWEY BEACH –– While Dewey Beach’s building inspectors have been enforcing a floor-area ratio restriction on new construction for over a decade, town officials are just now starting to moving forward with putting such an ordinance in the town’s code.
The Dewey Beach Planning and Zoning Commission voted, on Feb. 2, to recommend that the town council enact a town-wide FAR of 1.2. A FAR determines how much floor space a property owner may build, depending on the square footage of his or her land.
According to Dewey Beach Town Attorney John Brady, the town does not currently have a FAR restriction, except in the resort/residential zoning district. Despite not having an ordinance, town building official Bill Mears said he has been enforcing a 1.2 FAR when reviewing and signing off on construction plans, regardless of the zoning district, for around eight years. Mears said that he was just following the practice of his predecessor.