Pending approval from the Lewes City Council, visitors and residents in Lewes could expect to see two new condominium projects on Savannah Road near the beach – one at the current site of 2 Dips Ice Cream and one at Cape Henlopen Drive and Savannah Road.
The developer Rick Quill, who is a Lewes resident and owner of Blue Water House Bed and Breakfast, presented the two site plans at a city public hearing Monday night. The plans then go to the City Council, which meets again on Monday, March 14.update
The two proposed buildings will be related and known as Carriage Houses at Savannah and Carriage Houses at Cape Henlopen. Both include 12 proposed residential units and a commercial use beneath them on the ground floor – a private metered parking lot at the Cape Henlopen site and a commercial building where 2 Dips is now.
While Quill said that part of the 2 Dips building will remain, it is not entirely clear whether the beloved ice cream shop will stay when the condos are developed above it.
In a Facebook post last March, 2 Dips posted that the business was in search of a new home.
“We have received quite a few messages about the newly listed property on Savannah road…which happens to have been the perfect home for 2 Dips for the past 11 years,” the 2021 post read.
“Although the building is for sale, please rest assured that the business is not for sale and 2 Dips will remain open at that location for the 2021 season. Upon closing day we will begin the search for a new home base in Lewes, because 2 Dips is not going anywhere.”
Representatives of 2 Dips did not respond to multiple attempts to reach them for comment.
While Quill said he initially planned to tear down the building and create two identical models, with condominium units above a parking lot on the ground floor, he realized the importance of preserving the 2 Dips building after talking to some of his neighbors.
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This building was a part of Lewes history. Before it became an ice cream shop bustling with beachgoers, this site on Savannah Road was a garage dating back to the 1920s.
When Quill looked at the iconic façade again, he said it reminded him of the charms of some of the other historic buildings like Lloyd’s Market up the road.
He also said he hopes to install some of the old-fashioned gas pumps as part of the landscaping to “incorporate the old with the new” and recognize some of that history.
As far as the business that will operate out of the 2 Dips building?
“I would love for them to stay,” Quill said. He added that 2 Dips has not been forced out, but he has also not heard from the owners about whether they are interested in staying.
If 2 Dips decides to move on, Quill hopes to find a similar business like an ice cream or water ice shop that would be popular during the day but not attract activity late at night like a restaurant.
That’s because he has the future residents and his neighbors in mind, he said.
Quill emphasized throughout Monday’s public hearing that the site plans are in line with the city’s comprehensive plan. He said that the development would target Lewes’ large population of people over the age of 65 who may be looking to downsize into a smaller residence.
Illustrating his point, Quill said that a Lewes resident in her 70s had already reached out to the engineers and expressed interest in the site for that reason: She loves Lewes and was looking for an opportunity to stay in the city but in a smaller place.
Quill also acknowledged concerns from the community about flooding, agreeing to find engineering solutions to best control stormwater. Any further stormwater requirements will come from the Sussex Conservation District.
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Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.
