South Bethany, began in 1969; these buildings, the Bethany Beach area's first and only high-rises, opened in the early 1970s. The 1,200-townhome Sea Colony West low-rise beach and tennis resort development later was added just inland. Plans for Sea Colony met bitter opposition from longtime Bethany Beach residents, who were dismayed at the thought of high-rises and large crowds in the area; town regulations had been designed to prevent the construction of high-rises within town limits. Opponents of Sea Colony marched in protest and engaged in protracted legal efforts to block construction of the resort, but the property lay outside the town limits and their efforts to block the construction of Sea Colony failed. Sea Colony went on to become a very successful resort.
Bethany Beach installed its first parking meters in 1974, and they have become a major source of seasonal revenue for the town. In 1975, Bethany Beach installed a sewerage system and repaved its roads. A bandstand was built on the boardwalk in 1976, and serves to this day as the venue for musical performances and cultural events. The Bethany Beach-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce began operations in 1976.
On December 22, 1976, a sculpture (widely but incorrectly referred to as a "totem pole") created by Hungarian sculptor Peter Toth � who erected a sculpture in each of the 50 U.S. states as a tribute to Native Americans � was dedicated at the intersection of Delaware Avenue (Route 1) and Garfield Parkway. The installation of the sculpture was controversial; many residents viewed it as irrelevant to Bethany Beach, where no history of Native American activity has been found. Although opponents of the sculpture suggested that its installation at Oak Orchard, the hub of Nanticoke settlement since the mid-17th century, would be much more appropriate, Toth wanted a more visible location and the sculpture was erected in Bethany Beach.
