The Lighthouse Cove Development Company has completed the replenishment of beach along Rehoboth Bay as part of its ongoing mixed-use Lighthouse Cove development in Dewey Beach.
The replenishment is one of a number of public amenities including a first-ever ADA-compliant public bay walk, a recreational pier, and a future sunset gazebo. The three projects are now under construction.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Control (DNREC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Sussex County provided approval for the beach replenishment earlier this spring.
The baywalk structure will be the first of its kind in the Rehoboth Bay and will ensure continued public access to the Rehoboth Bay for Dewey Beach residents and visitors, providing a place for recreational activities such as crabbing, fishing, bird watching, and plant and habitat study.
It will also allow access to families and others who prefer the calmer waters of the bay for swimming and other recreation. Lighthouse Cove is also exploring a partnership with East of Maui Surf Shop and their popular bayside sports recreation kiosk, which would provide guests with kayak and paddleboard rentals, lessons and eco-tours on the Rehoboth Bay.
The newly restored beach will also serve as a complement to The Lighthouse Cove Event Center, which is set to open in September 2019.
The newly unveiled venue includes 14,600-square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event space overlooking Rehoboth Bay, a 4,340-square foot ballroom, 3,020-square foot pre-event space for cocktail hours and other gatherings, and nearly 10,000-square feet of outdoor patio space. The Event Center will also include large, state-of-the-art conference room space.
“The replenishment of this beach along Rehoboth Bay marks another critical step toward the completion of Lighthouse Cove – one of the most exciting mixed-use commercial developments in the region,” said Thomas J. Hanna, president of Harvey Hanna & Associates, Newport, the company overseeing the redevelopment. “This process will not only help to create a first-class venue for weddings and other special events, but also establish a number of amenities and enhanced public access to the bay for decades to come.”
The Lighthouse Cove redevelopment in Dewey Beach, one of the largest private mixed-use resort projects along the mid-Atlantic coastline.
The property along Dewey Beach’s Coastal Highway was once scheduled to become a private, gated townhouse community that would eliminate public access to the Rehoboth Bay between Van Dyke and Dickinson Streets. Harvey Hanna & Associates later acquired the property and proposed a wide-ranging, mixed-use redevelopment.
The project has generated nearly $6 million in transfer, property, hotel lodging and accommodations taxes, building permits and other revenues, as well as hundreds of permanent and construction jobs, with more to come.
The project also includes Delaware’s first-ever Hyatt-branded hotel, which opened in October 2013, and a soon-to-be remodeled Lighthouse Restaurant.
The redevelopment is home to The Residences at Lighthouse Cove – a collection of 83 current and future luxury condominiums. Amenities include a rooftop pool, on-site garage parking, private balconies, and terraces overlooking both the Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Construction on the final phase of the Residences broke ground in November 2017 and is expected to be completed later this year.
“Since beginning work on Lighthouse Cove, we have always envisioned it as a redevelopment with the power to not only bolster the regional economy but provide tangible amenities for use by residents and visitors alike. Today, the project has already generated more than $6 million,” said Hanna. “As progress on our final luxury condominiums continues and we begin preparing to host weddings, banquets, conferences, and many other special events on site, we are now one step closer to completion on what has become a true legacy project for the Delaware Coast.”
For more information on the Event Center at Lighthouse Cove, visit LighthouseCoveEvents.com
