Vacation rental slated for second floor of old Dolle’s building

Thinking about vacationing in Rehoboth Beach? There’s about to be a new rental with great views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Boardwalk – the second floor of the old Dolle’s building.

The new apartment at 1 Rehoboth Ave. came to light during a Parks & Shade Tree Commission meeting June 28. Due to the new residential component of the building, city code requires the planting of two trees on the property. The developer went before the commission asking to pay a fee instead of planting those trees because there’s no place for them on the property. City Arborist Liz Lingo recommended the commission grant the fee in lieu of mitigation, which the commission did, setting the fee at $1,200.

Jonathan Silver, Onix Group vice president, represented the developer during the commission hearing. In an email July 7, he said there will be one apartment and it will be mostly used as a weekly vacation rental. According to floor plans, there will be three bedrooms, two bathrooms in the roughly 1,500-square-foot apartment.

“We are very excited about the project. There is no better view of the Boardwalk,” said Silver. “1 Rehoboth Avenue is the best address in town.”

Dolle’s Candyland owner Tom Ibach announced in December he was moving the operation a few storefronts west, into his Ibach’s Candy by the Sea store at 9 Rehoboth Ave. Just last week, he had a new Dolle’s sign installed there. The second floor of the old Dolle’s building was the longtime production area for its chocolate treats. 

The candy shop on the Boardwalk closed Jan. 31. At about the same time, Grotto Pizza, which owns the Boardwalk property north of Dolle’s that stretches to Baltimore Avenue, announced it had purchased the 1 Rehoboth Ave. property, partnering with Pennsylvania-based developer Onix Group. According to Sussex County property records, the owner of 1 Rehoboth Ave. is One Rehoboth Ave. LLC, which has an address of 150 Onix Drive, Kennett Square, Pa.

Silver said he hopes to have everything ready to go for inspection by the end of the week. The target date for the first rental will be mid-July, he said.

Silver said they are still in the process of figuring out the long-term plans for the iconic location.

“One thing that is for certain, Grotto will be relocating from Baltimore Avenue to the 1 Rehoboth corner,” said Silver.

As for the first floor of the building, Dreamer Coffee and Juice Bar, which has a location on the south side of Rehoboth Avenue, announced it plans to open a second location there, but that has not happened yet.