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Delaware’s beaches are superb. But here are 21 things our beaches need to be more fun

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Delaware’s beaches are superb. But here are 21 things our beaches need to be more fun


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Every few years over the past decade, Delaware Online/The News Journal has published an occasional series called “What Wilmington needs to be more fun.”

A bit of a think-out-loud brainstorming session, we reach for the stars, but keep a dash of reality in our minds as we cook up ideas.

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Over the years, many have actually come to be: beer gardens (Constitution Yards Beer Garden, Maker’s Alley), record store (SqueezeBox Records), another art house movie theater (The Screening Room at 1313), production brewery (Wilmignton Brew Works), rooftop bar (The Quoin Hotel) and more.

With the weather heating up, we figured it’s time to turn our attention down south to Delaware’s beaches, already a bastion for summertime fun.

We asked readers, co-workers and others for suggestions, condensing the best recommendations into this list.

Keep in mind, some of these may not be feasible for a bunch of reasons. But just like the list, we wanted to be fun … and think big.

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Swim-up bar

Maybe we’re jealous of the set-up at Seacrets in Ocean City, Maryland, with tables and chairs in the Isle of Wight Bay, allowing patrons to play in the water while grabbing a drink or snack. And perhaps we like “The White Lotus” a little too much, and we’re still daydreaming about that swim-up bar at the hotel in the show’s first season.

But it got us thinking. We have water. And bars. Why not combine the two?

We know of two in the area: the heated pool with a swim-up bar at the Sun Outdoors resort at Massey’s Landing near Long Neck and one in the private Coastal Club near Lewes. But what about one for the public?

While Indian River Bay is too deep where it meets Dockside Marina Bar & Grill and perhaps Rehoboth Bay is not quite clean enough at The Rusty Rudder or northbeach in Dewey Beach for sitting, perhaps in-bay seating could work out somewhere, somehow.

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More likely to work is a restaurant or resort with a pool, allowing swimmers to splash their way up to a pool-level bar to grab a drink.

More concerts on the beach

Each September, a large stage is constructed on Dewey Beach near Dagsworthy Street for a “Property Owners’ End of Season Beach Party” once the tourists have returned home.

It’s a great event with food and drink vendors right on the beach with a local cover band playing familiar tunes only a few feet away from the coastline.

That show, combined with the Rockin’ the Docks concert series near the Cape May-Lewes Ferry in Lewes and the growing on-the-beach concert festival schedule at Ocean City (Oceans Calling, Country Calling, Boardwalk Rock) has us dreaming of on-the-beach concerts at Delaware’s beaches.During the summer season, it’s likely not possible. But perhaps the fall or spring could be a good time to host bands if a promoter was able to get a town on board. Until then, bandstand shows in Rehoboth and Bethany beaches are the closest we’ll get.

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Bird’s-eye view of the beach

OK, we promise that we don’t want to turn Rehoboth Beach into Ocean City. OC is fine for those who like it, but we think Delaware’s beach towns have small-town charm that you can’t find in Ocean City or most of the Jersey Shore.

But there’s just something about the Ferris wheels in Ocean City and the Jersey Shore – it gives the space a whimsical touch, but more importantly, a new vantage point for beachgoers to see the beach.

Is there any way we could deliver a bird’s-eye view of our beaches besides the Haunted Mansion and the Sea Dragon ride at Funland on Rehoboth Beach’s boardwalk?

Maybe our own Ferris wheel? Perhaps a tethered hot air balloon or two like they had at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover? There has to be a better way to see our beaches from the air besides photographs taken by drone operators.

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Full-time dog-friendly beach

At each of Delaware’s beach towns, there are restrictions on when owners can bring their dogs to the beach.

Some have total bans during the summer season (Rehoboth and Bethany beaches) or have summertime restrictions, allowing doggies only in the early morning or evening hours (Dewey Beach, Lewes).

Perhaps one of our beach towns could open up a portion of their beach to dogs full time, allowing families to bring their four-legged friends for some oceanfront fun during the day in the summer.

All-inclusive resort

Did we mention our slight addiction to “The White Lotus” already? That’s right, we did. Well, here we go again.

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While there are plenty of ways to make a temporary Delaware beach home in the summer from house rentals to hotels to campsites, all-inclusive resorts like those found at other vacation destinations are missing.

Sure, no one expects a Four Seasons-level resort like those found on the HBO series at Delaware’s beaches, perhaps a smaller all-inclusive resort would work for those who want to be pampered in one setting, while still allowing them to venture out into town when they want.

Foilboard rentals

If you’ve ever seen someone on a foilboard, a surfboard powered by a hydrofoil underneath in the water, it’s hard not to be wowed at the possibilities for fun.

It gives the user the ability to lift out of the water and travel at higher speeds.

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While you can take foil lessons at spots such as East of Maui in Dewey Beach, they don’t do rentals due to insurance liability issues and the price of the boards, which can range from $1,000 to $3,000. (They do have limited, supervised rentals for experienced riders.)

So if you want to foil at the beach, you have to bring your own board. Perhaps a water-lover with deep pockets will take the risk and open a spot allowing for wider rentals, but it’s an uphill battle.

Laser tag

When it comes to what the beach needs to be more fun, a constant refrain is more activities for families and, more specifically, their children. And, of course, that goes doubly for rainy days at the beach.

While laser tag had a home for a short time at Lefty’s Alley & Eats near Lewes, it was discontinued, leaving the beaches without a spot for you to go pew-pew.

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Maybe a dedicated laser tag spot such as Dover’s Diamond State Laser Tag could work at the beaches with the right set-up and location.

Aquarium

Whether it’s Baltimore, Atlantic City or Camden, New Jersey, aquariums attract crowds year-round.

Perhaps another waterfront area – our beaches – could find success with an aquarium, drawing visitors that already have water on their mind.

Sure, we don’t expect anything like Baltimore’s National Aquarium with its 2.2 million gallons of water to be replicated here. But a smaller aquarium could actually work.

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Large-scale LGBTQ dance club

Years ago, Delaware’s beaches were home to some large-scale LGBTQ dance clubs such as Renegade and The Boathouse, partially fueled by the gay-and-lesbian Washington, D.C., crowd that found summertime fun here.

Sure, there are still spots with dance floors, but Diego’s Bar & Nightclub in Rehoboth Beach stands out in our mind as the only spot that operates as a true large-ish LGBTQ dance club.

Given the size of the LGBTQ community in Rehoboth Beach – both in the summertime and off-season – along with the increasing popularity of LGBTQ dance clubs with straight crowds as well, maybe a bigger dance club like those found in major East Coast cities would work.

IMAX theater

There’s nothing like an IMAX theater, especially for summertime blockbusters. But if you’re at the beach, you wouldn’t know it.

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The closest IMAX theater is in Wilmington or Baltimore – not even in Ocean City.

While we love the homespun, family-owned Movies at Midway (those affordable candy prices and popcorn refills can’t be beat), it’s hard not to dream about also seeing films on a massive 72-by-52 IMAX screen.

Could Delaware’s beaches sustain one on their own? Probably not unless it’s prime summer season. But it would also pull in movie fans from the entire surrounding region, no matter the season.

Zipline

It’s hard to believe there’s not a zipline at Delaware’s beaches, given that it seems like a perfect warm-weather activity for visitors.

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We envision a beach version of the Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park, which operates at Lums Pond State Park near Bear.

Perhaps one of our state parks down south can go ape themselves and add ziplines, treetop adventures, ax throwing and more.

Teen dance club

As demand for fun activities for teens at the beach seems to increase, along with concerns about large groups of teens congregating and getting into trouble, like in Rehoboth Beach this spring, perhaps a teen dance club would help.

The under-21-only H20 just off the boardwalk in Ocean City could serve as a model with DJ-led nightly parties, foam parties and theme nights.

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Upstate/downstate ferry

We have a good way for someone to probably lose some money, but, hey, we’re going to pitch it anyway.

We heard from plenty of upstate Delawareans tired of Delaware Route 1 traffic who would love to be able to hop on a small ferry or water taxi from Wilmington to Delaware’s beaches.

If you don’t want to drive your own car, there’s always DART’s Beach Bus, which runs from Wilmington to the Lewes Transit Center on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. But that still leaves you in traffic.

Maybe one day we’ll be able to pay extra to make the trip on the water and leave the highway blues behind.

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Rooftop bar

Yes, we have Mangos in Bethany Beach, Starboard Claw in Dewey, Big Chill Beach Club at the Indian River Inlet and Above the Dunes and Cultured Pearl in Rehoboth, all of which give you an elevated spot to have a drink and a bite.

But there’s no true outdoor rooftop bar at the beach where everyone can mingle, have fun and take in a view without a restaurant vibe.

We’re envisioning something like the former Two Seas restaurant in Dewey Beach with its views of the ocean and the bay, but stripped of the fine dining and focusing more just on drinks and small bites, giving more of a bar/lounge vibe.

Food truck festival

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Let’s face it, there’s no shortage of places to stuff your face at Delaware’s beaches from Boardwalk eats and fast food to fine dining and family restaurants.

But a food truck festival once a year would be a fun way to inject some new flavors into the scene, whether it’s held during the summer or restricted to spring or fall.

It could be held in a downtown, state park or another venue. Either way, a food truck festival would likely be a hit.

Food vendors on the beach

Sometimes you just don’t feel like making the trek across hot sand to the boardwalk for something to eat or drink.

Maybe our beach towns could contract with a local company to provide limited food vendors to roam the beach selling sodas, hot dogs or ice cream with restrictions to make sure they aren’t too intrusive.

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Sure, the prices would rival those at concerts or sporting events, so both the company and the town could make their money. But being handed an ice cream sandwich on a hot day while lounging on your beach blanket sounds really good to us.

Marijuana lounge

With marijuana now legalized and recreational retail shops (eventually) opening across the state, perhaps marijuana lounges aren’t more than a longtime wishful hallucination of sorts.

As more people turn away from alcohol and toward marijuana and THC drinks and cocktails, a marijuana lounge at the beach could be a thing of the future. Perhaps the distant future, but it could happen – not without a fight, most likely.

And if you want one in the “quiet resort” of Bethany Beach, where bars close early, don’t hold your breath.

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Higher-end supermarket/wholesale club

While there’s no shortage of local supermarkets for residents and vacationers looking to fill their rental house refrigerators, you won’t find any higher-end supermarkets such as Trader Joe’s or Wegmans.

While we give a nod to The Fresh Market in Rehoboth as an enticing specialty grocer, if you’re used to your wholesale clubs at home, the only one in the area is a BJ’s Wholesale Club and gas station near Millsboro. Sorry Costco fans, the only one in Delaware is found upstate.

A little more variety, especially when it comes to the possible addition of a Trader Joe’s or Wegmans, already has us salivating.

Water taxis

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When you’re on land, seeing boats fly across Rehoboth and Indian River bays might make you think, “I wish I could take one to get around.”

Perhaps a water taxi that could connect waterfront restaurants and bars such as The Rusty Rudder, The Lighthouse, northbeach, Paradise Grill and Dockside Marina Bar & Grill would be popular.

Back Bay Tours has hourly water taxis from Ocean View to Paradise Grill and offers special restaurant charters in addition to fishing trips and sunset cruises, but not regular service to all the bayside restaurants.

And maybe one day water taxi service will return to connect Lewes and other towns to Rehoboth Beach, but for 2025, it has been shut down due to structural concerns at the Grove Park Canal dock.

Parking garage

These two words are enough to make your blood pressure spike: beach parking.

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On-street parking is hard to find, for sure. And, yes, there are transit centers, park-and rides and the Jolly Trolley to help make parking and getting around without your car a bit easier.

But many of our respondents fantasize about a proper parking garage in Rehoboth Beach. Given how much property is worth in town, don’t hold your breath for a big parking garage to make beach life easier, however.

More restrictions on canopies on Dewey Beach

Large beach tents and canopies that block the ocean view for others are a big no-no in Lewes and Rehoboth and Bethany beaches.

While Dewey Beach fixed their free-for-all and added restrictions in the offseason – tents are now prohibited and open-sided canopies with roofs must be supervised in the morning – some don’t think it goes far enough.

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Perhaps canopies should be restricted to the back third of the beach so they don’t interfere with the view of beachgoers and, more importantly, lifeguards.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).





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Supreme Court says local elections board must hear residency challenge

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  • The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered the Delaware County Board of Elections to hold a hearing on a residency challenge.
  • The challenge questions whether board member Melanie Leneghan, who is running for reelection on the state GOP central committee, lives in Ohio.
  • A previous hearing could not proceed after three of the four board members, including Leneghan, recused themselves.

In the latest development in the ongoing challenge over where a Delaware County Board of Elections member actually lives, the Ohio Supreme Court has weighed in.

On March 27, the state’s high court ruled that the Delaware County elections board must hold a hearing about the challenge to Melanie Leneghan’s residency. Leneghan is running for reelection to the position of District 19 women’s representative for the Republican State Central Committee seat in the May 5 primary.

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A March 5 elections board hearing could not proceed after the two Democrat members recused themselves, along with Leneghan, a Republican, and the board could not reach a quorum. After that meeting, Velva Dunn, a Delaware County Republican Party Central Committee member, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to force the board to act.

Democrat elections board members Ed Helvey and Peg Watkins both recused themselves from the March 5 decision, citing concerns that any action they took could be perceived as partisan. Leneghan also recused herself.

Dunn challenged Leneghan’s ability to vote in Ohio, claiming Leneghan lives in South Carolina. Leneghan has denied the allegations, saying she lives in Ohio but travels out of state for work and to visit her daughter, who attends college in South Carolina. Leneghan owns two homes there.

She sold her Delaware County home in 2025 and is registered to vote at a house in Galena, of which she became a listed co-owner March 12 through a deed transfer that involved no monetary exchange, records from the county auditor’s office show.

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Ohio does not have any known requirements about the amount of time a person needs to live in Ohio to be considered a resident. Voters must be a resident for at least 30 days before the election to be eligible to vote.

Ohio also does not have a process outlined in law for how recusals of elections board members should be handled. Those boards each comprise two Democrats and two Republicans.

In its ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court said Helvey, Watkins and Republican Steve Cuckler, the fourth board member, must hold a hearing about Leneghan’s challenge “forthwith.” It was not immediately clear when that meeting would take place.

Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.

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50 boys outdoor track and field athletes to watch in Delaware in 2026

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50 boys outdoor track and field athletes to watch in Delaware in 2026


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Since the start of 2025, Delaware boys track and field athletes have set 11 state records between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

After a winter season in which 17 performances reached the top five on the state all-time list, Delaware appears poised for another strong spring.

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Our list of track and field athletes to watch (presented alphabetically) features athletes from 24 schools who compete in sprints, distance races, throws and jumps. They are the athletes we expect to be among the state’s leaders at the DIAA Championships at Dover High on May 15-16 although many new names could emerge by then.

After defending its indoor track and field state title, Middletown is in search of its second straight Division I championship. Saint Mark’s enters the season as the Division II winner in three of the past four seasons.

2026 Delaware boys track and field athletes to watch

Elijah Annan, sr., Dover

Jason Baker, sr., Cape Henlopen

Derick Belle, sr., Odessa

Suhayl Benson, jr., Howard

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Shaun Bosman, sr., Christiana

Elijah Burke, sr., Saint Mark’s

Khalid Burton, sr., Laurel

Isaiah Charles, jr., Caravel

Chukwuma Chukwuocha, jr., Wilmington Friends

Timothy Claessens, jr., Newark Charter

Rodney Coker, so., Odessa

Jaheim Cole, sr., Dover

Josh Cox, sr., Archmere

Calvin Davis, fr., A.I. du Pont

James Dempsey, jr., Salesianum

Will DiPaolo, sr., Cape Henlopen

Logan Elmore, jr., Middletown

Dahani Everett, sr., Caesar Rodney

Jayden Feaster, sr., Middletown

Gabe Harris, sr., Caesar Rodney

Phoenix Henriquez, sr., Smyrna

Christian Jenerette, sr., Odessa

Brandon Jervey, jr., Middletown

Mekhi Jimperson, sr., Caesar Rodney

Benjamin Johnson, jr., Dickinson

Michka Johnson, sr., Hodgson

Trey Johnson, sr., Cape Henlopen

Amir Jones-Branch, sr., Middletown

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Alec Jurgaitis, sr., Saint Mark’s

Gavin Leffler, sr., Tatnall

Elijah MacFarlane, sr., Caesar Rodney

Max Martire, sr., Tatnall

Dylan McCarthy, sr., Tatnall

Chase Mellen, so., Salesianum

Zamir Miller, sr., Middletown

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Ryan Moody, sr., Sussex Academy

Wayne Roberts, jr., Appoquinimink

Elijah Tackett, sr., Dover

Kai Thornton, sr., Sussex Central

Marc Patterson, sr., Dover

Charles Prosser, so., Salesianum

Riley Robinson, fr., Middletown

Roan Samuels, sr., Salesianum

Douglas Simpson, jr., Cape Henlopen

Jessie Standard, jr., Middletown

Riley Stazzone, sr., Cape Henlopen

Jamar Taylor, jr., Salesianum

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Jordan Welch, sr., Sussex Tech

Brandon Williams, sr., Charter of Wilmington

Xzavier Yarborough, jr., Dover

Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.



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DNREC’s decision to prohibit data center upheld by state board

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  • A Delaware board upheld the state environmental agency’s decision to prohibit the “Project Washington” data center.
  • The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) ruled the project violated the 1971 Coastal Zone Act.
  • The developer, Starwood Digital Ventures, argued the project’s infrastructure did not fall under the act’s regulations.

Project Washington’s prospects in Delaware appear murkier after a board stood on the state environmental agency’s decision to prohibit the data center proposal.

The public hearings with the Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board kicked off in Dover on March 24 at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Auditorium near Legislative Hall. It finished on March 26 after days of testimony from witnesses supporting and opposing the DNREC decision on the data center, which would be the largest in the state.

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Project Washington was prohibited by DNREC in February because the agency said it violated the Coastal Zone Act, which was signed in 1971. Project Washington’s developer, Starwood Digital Ventures, filed an appeal of that decision soon after.

A little more than 30 people attended the meeting on March 24. It was modeled more like a court hearing than a public government meeting. The next two days included testimony from witnesses from both Starwood Digital Ventures’ and DNREC’s attorneys.

The Coastal Zone board consists of nine members, five of which are appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. Four other members are the state director of the Division of Small Business and Tourism and the chairs of the planning commissions of each county.

It’s the first time this assembly of the board has been called to action. Board members said they are making decisions on a fact and law basis, and are trying to cut out the noise this project has caused on social media and in other public meetings.

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Witnesses and experts explained a ton of technical definitions for generators and got into the nitty-gritty of emissions and infrastructure. It was up to the board to take those facts in stride and make their decision.

“What we have to do is come back to the purpose of the appeal,” said Willie Scott, a member of the board during a break between sessions on March 24.

They voted unanimously to uphold the DNREC decision to prohibit the project based on the Coastal Zone Act.

Courtroom-like arguments for and against the data center

The hearing on March 24 began with opening arguments. Attorneys for Starwood Digital Ventures, Project Washington’s developer, argued that Project Washington’s purpose and infrastructure fall outside of the Coastal Zone Act’s regulations, and that DNREC’s definitions of smokestacks and tank farms are flawed.

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“It fails every element of the statutory definition, as interpreted by the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Superior Court,” said Jeff Moyer, an attorney representing Starwood. “Its limited diesel infrastructure is not a tank farm within any reasonable meaning of that term, and each of the core three functions of Project Washington – data storage, electrical infrastructure and backup power – are all expressly not regulated.”

DNREC’s attorneys argued the data center campuses fall under heavy industry in a modern context, and it is the kind of project the act is intended to kill. They also argued it has a potential to pollute when backup generators are working if the power fails.

“The law requires that it be prohibited, not recharacterized, not broken into pieces and minimized, but prohibited,” said Michael Hoffman, attorney representing DNREC. “Over the course of the next few days, we will show that Starwood’s proposed hyperscale data center is one such project.”

Closing arguments on March 26 reiterated arguments from both sides, and the board voted to stand with DNREC.

How Project Washington and DNREC got here

The Coastal Zone Act prevents heavy industrial projects from developing along the Delaware River and Bay, Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Atlantic Ocean, Indian River Bay and other Sussex County bays. The 14 projects that have been grandfathered include the Delaware City Refinery and the Port of Wilmington.

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Project Washington’s proposed site falls within the defined coastal zone, which extends west to Dupont Highway in that specific spot. In February, DNREC said the massive data center is prohibited, stifling the project while it worked through state and county permits.

It would be 11 two-story data center buildings surrounded by electrical fields on two large land parcels north of Delaware City accessible by Hamburg Road, Governor Lea Road and River Road. 

DNREC’s beef with the project is in the backup generators and their accompanying diesel tanks. The data center is proposed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If power goes out, it needs to use the backup generators to keep running. DNREC’s decision says the project includes some 516 double-walled diesel fuel belly tanks, each capable of storing some 5,020 gallons of fuel. That’s about five acres of tank farm.

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There would be 516 backup generators with 516 smokestacks, which DNREC said in its original decision is the exact type of infrastructure the Coastal Zone Act targets by prohibiting “heavy industrial” projects.

Starwood Digital Ventures, appealed the decision, mentioning countervailing factors including avoiding wetlands, no direct surface water discharges and projected economic benefits.

Their appeal said the original DNREC decision “solely focuses on alleged environmental risk and worst-case emissions, and does not fairly weigh or explain these countervailing factors in light of regulating criteria.”

Jim Lamb, who is handling media communication for the project, said the backup generators would only run 37 to 45 minutes per month just to test if they are operational. Project Washington will also use a closed-loop cooling system, limiting its water intake.

The appeal required a hearing, which is the first time the board made a decision since 2021.

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The developer of the project did not immediately respond to Delaware Online/The News Journal’s request for comment. New Castle County officials did not immediately respond to either.

Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.



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