Former 2 Dips buildings may be demolished; hotel, coffee shop planned

A 16-room hotel is proposed for the site of the former 2 Dips Ice Cream property on Savannah Road in Lewes.

The existing buildings at 209 E. Savannah Road would be demolished, according to a site plan submitted to the Lewes Planning Commission, and a three-story, 826.5 square-foot building built on the half-acre lot. The application proposed a white exterior with black accents for “The Beach House of Lewes,” which is planned to be located at the back of the property, furthest from the road.

Also planned for the property, next to the hotel, is a 500-square-foot coffee house and 22 total parking spaces.

The owners of the property are Carl and Lora Wagner, according to Sussex County tax maps, both members of the family that owned and operated 2 Dips. James Owen is listed as “equitable owner/developer” on the application.

The submission of the site plan is the first step of the building permit process in Lewes. A public hearing on the plan will be held Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Margaret Rollins Community Center.

Developer Rick Quill previously planned to build condominiums on the 2 Dips property. His plan fell through, he said, after a development company filed a lawsuit related to his nearby property at 203 E. Savannah Rd., he said. Quill won that lawsuit, however, and is continuing with plans to build condominiums at 203 E. Savannah Rd.