Committee Advances Fenwick Parking Changes To Council

BY BETHANY HOOPER STAFF WRITER

FENWICK ISLAND – Proposed changes to the town’s commercial parking ratios will return to the Fenwick Island Town Council with a favorable recommendation from a resort committee.

Last Friday, the Fenwick Island Charter and Ordinance Committee voted 5-1, with member Ben Waide opposed, to accept the December first reading of proposed commercial parking changes and to recommend the town council adopt the changes as written.

While he acknowledged ongoing parking concerns, Waide said he couldn’t support an ordinance that was not supported by members of the business community.

“When you have a business community that is vehemently against it, something is wrong and there is some work that needs to be done moving forward,” he said.

Last month, members of the town council had before them a proposed second reading of an ordinance amendment pertaining to off-street parking in the commercial district. However, officials ultimately agreed to refer the ordinance to the town’s charter and ordinance committee for further review.

In last week’s special meeting, Mayor Natalie Magdeburger, committee chair, said the proposed changes would address a growing parking problem in Fenwick. She noted that changes made in 2013 had eroded the town’s parking space requirements to the point they no longer met the needs of the business community.

“When this change was made in 2013, it ultimately became a 65% reduction of required parking from the ordinance that existed from 1973 to 1995 …,” she said. “A restaurant that would have had 59 parking spaces required in 1973 to 1995 only has to have 29 parking spaces now. And that’s how you can get a restaurant that has a capacity of 212 people and 20 employees and only 29 parking spaces.”

Last spring, officials introduced an ordinance amendment that would allow for new, more stringent parking ratios on new and redeveloped commercial properties. As written, the proposed ordinance amendment would change, among other things, restaurant parking ratios from one parking space per 100 square feet of patron area to one per 50 square feet of patron area, and retail parking ratios from one per 300 square feet of floor area to one per 250 square feet of floor area. New ratios are also being proposed for hotels.

Magdeburger said the new parking ratios were similar to ratios found in Sussex County and Ocean View and would restore some of the town’s past parking requirements.

“I think these changes we are proposing in the ordinance will prevent future difficulties,” she said, “and I believe they are absolutely necessary.”

For his part, however, Waide said he