Rehoboth considers high-rise inspections

Rehoboth Beach officials are considering an ordinance that would require the city’s taller buildings to undergo a building inspection program. As proposed, detached, single-family homes would not be included in the program.

Corey Shinko, director of the city’s Planning, Zoning and Development Department, introduced the proposed ordinance during a meeting April 6, describing it as a property maintenance and public safety program. It’s not a zoning change, and it does not change use, density, height or development rights, he said.

“Its purpose is to identify deterioration in certain aging buildings before those conditions become a life safety issue,” said Shinko.

Just as importantly, Shinko continued, this ordinance does not require existing buildings to be brought up to current building codes simply because of their age. Its purpose is to require professional evaluation and appropriate repair where unsafe or deteriorated conditions exist, he said.

In a coastal community like Rehoboth, salt air, moisture, wind exposure and water intrusion all speed up deterioration, said Shinko. These conditions aren’t always visible to the eye, he said, and a proactive inspection program is a better approach than waiting until conditions became dangerous.

“Older buildings can hide serious problems,” said Shinko.

Specifically, the program would include buildings that are four stories or taller and more than 50 feet in height, said Shinko. Provisions would also require buildings with exposed exterior elements like balconies, decks, railings and stairs to undergo a limited inspection, he said.

Detached single-family homes are intentionally excluded from the program, said Shinko, as it is geared toward buildings that present an elevated risk.

Shinko then explained how the inspection program would work. First, a building enters the program 30 years after occupancy, or sooner if there’s observable damage deemed to be a safety concern. Second, the property owner hires a licensed Delaware engineer, not the city, to conduct the inspection. Third is report and repair.

After initial compliance, there would be a five-year inspection cycle for facades and balconies, and there would be a 10-year inspection cycle for structural and load-bearing components, said Shinko. This is not a one-time safety event; this is a recurring safety program, he said.

Mayor Stan Mills said the ordinance was generated from the Surfside condominium collapse that took place in Florida five years ago. The city’s brick and concrete buildings soak up the moisture, and what happens is the structural steel reinforcing the walls deteriorates and becomes useless, he said.

Commissioner Mark Saunders said a program like this is overdue in Rehoboth and the city didn’t need to look to Florida for problems, pointing to the old Sirocco Motel that was demolished last summer to make way for the new One Rehoboth Hotel. What was found was astounding, he said.

“That hotel was literally leaning onto one of our main streets and held up by rust,” said Saunders. “I don’t think there was any steel there. It was just rust.”

There were commissioner questions related to the appeals process and how the city’s board of adjustment would be involved. Mills tasked City Solicitor Lisa Borin Ogden to look into those details and report back to the commission.

There were also questions and concerns raised by commissioners and members of the public about property owners passing on costly repairs to business-owner tenants.

Ultimately, the April 6 discussion was introductory. There wasn’t a time frame provided for when it would be back to commissioners for further discussion.