Summer House has plans for outdoor dining on lot next door

December 31, 2023 80

About this time last year, local restaurateur Regan Derrickson reopened the Summer House restaurant in Rehoboth Beach after a three-month renovation. Now, he’s looking to bring outdoor dining to the Rehoboth Avenue mainstay by adding seating in the vacant lot immediately west of the restaurant.

The plan is to add hardscaping with a fountain in the middle that attracts people as they drive by, said Derrickson in an interview Dec. 21. With everything that’s happened over the last few years, it’s become clear customers want outdoor dining, he said, adding that Rehoboth could use some more.

“It’s going to look nice, and I’m hoping it will draw people in,” he said. “I’m calling it the Summer Garden. I think it’ll be absolutely wonderful and complete the package of what the Summer House has to offer.”

Derrickson, who also owns Nalu locations in Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, purchased the 40-year-old restaurant from Big Fish owner Eric Sugrue and former Rehoboth Mayor Paul Kuhns in late summer 2022. He purchased the 5,000-square-foot lot next door a few weeks ago for $1.55 million.

“The Summer House is very special place for me and a lot people,” said Derrickson. “There’s a lot of love and history. That’s why I was happy to purchase it from Big Fish Group last year.”

The recent publication of a public hearing for a Friday, Jan. 12 planning commission meeting hinted at Derrickson’s future plans. The notice calls for a public hearing related to the consolidation of the lots at 228 and 230 Rehoboth Ave.

The public hearing is part of the process, said Derrickson. After that approval, he would still have to get a permit of compliance from city commissioners, he said.

“The good news is there are no walls or roof, so it shouldn’t take too long to build,” said Derrickson. “I’m not asking for any variances and it’s all within code. The plan is to have it ready for the 2024 season.”

The lot where the outdoor dining will take place has been vacant for many years. The closest it’s come to being developed in recent memory was when Agave Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar tried to build a restaurant there. Ultimately, those plans were abandoned in favor of a restaurant on Route 1 in the former Jake’s Seafood property.

One Rehoboth hotel

A public notice has also been issued for a Jan. 12 preliminary site-plan review for One Rehoboth Avenue Hotel, which is the property that fronts the Boardwalk and stretches the entire block from Rehoboth Avenue to Baltimore Avenue. As proposed, the four-story hotel would be 58,300 square feet, with 60 rooms, a pool and underground parking. The board of adjustment granted a variance in April that allows the structure to have a floor-to-area ratio of 2.76 instead of the code-mandated 2.

The planning commission meeting is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m., Jan. 12, at city hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave.