Commission Considering Recommendations

Thursday, January 10th, 2008 – Dewey Beach’s town planner, Chris Fazio, gave a presentation on how proposed setbacks and other building restrictions would affect new construction in the town’s commercial districts, with a focus on the FAR that such restrictions would impose without the addition of an ordinance

The Planning and Zoning Commission has been considering a recommendation for the town council to implement an interim FAR of 1.2, to be put into effect while the planning commissioners work on bringing Dewey’s zoning code into compliance with the town’s comprehensive plan.

A FAR ordinance determines how much buildable floor area is allowed on a property. In Dewey’s case, a FAR of 1.2 would allow a property owner with 10,000 square feet of land in town to build a structure with up to 12,000 square feet of floor space, including buildings with multiple stories.

Representatives for the Harvey, Hanna and Associates Inc. development firm, which owns the Dewey’s landmark Ruddertowne complex, voiced their concerns that imposing a FAR ordinance would diminish property values and transfer taxes for the town.