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Board approves variance to allow Dewey Villas pool‑house (unit 9A) to be used as a rental dwelling
Summary
The Board of Adjustment granted a variance allowing Dewey Villas to convert a small pool‑house/storage structure (unit 9A) into a dwelling/rental unit, waiving density limits that would otherwise prohibit adding a 17th unit on the parcel.
The Town of Dewey Beach Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to grant a variance that allows the Dewey Villas condominium association to convert a pool‑house/storage structure identified as Unit 9A at 24 Dickinson Avenue into a rentable dwelling unit.
David Brandt, president of the Dewey Villas condo association, told the board the unit has historically been used seasonally to house lifeguards and other seasonal personnel and that the association had regularly obtained rental licenses for the unit in prior years. "It's been rented ... lifeguards have been there," he said, explaining the unit’s longstanding seasonal use and the condominium association’s preference to continue that practice while formalizing the unit’s legal status.
Town staff and the board reviewed zoning table calculations showing the parcel’s size allows roughly one dwelling per 3,600 square feet; the site is about 21,875 square feet and the code table permits roughly six units, while 16 already exist as a legal non‑conforming condition. Converting Unit 9A to a rental would add a unit beyond that density cap and therefore requires a variance from the density provision and from the rules that limit the expansion or repurposing of non‑conforming structures.
Several condo owners and neighbors offered letters and testimony in support; no opposition was presented at the hearing. The board discussed consistency with neighborhood character, the unit’s long history of rental use, parking for the unit, and whether the association would have to submit updated condominium declaration documents and follow standard permitting and rental licensing procedures. Board members said the variance would not authorize changes to building or safety codes; the association must still meet all housing, fire‑safety and licensing requirements before renting the unit.
On that basis, the board found the request met the variance criteria and approved the conversion to a rentable dwelling. The condo association must file a new declaration plan with the county, obtain any required permits and ensure the unit meets the town’s rental license and safety requirements before occupancy as a dwelling.
