The Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has made a decision regarding the request for a Coastal Zone Act (CZA) status decision (Project CZA-448SD) from Starwood Digital Ventures (“Starwood”). On October 31, 2025, a status decision application was submitted on the behalf of Starwood to determine whether or not the development of a data center campus on two contiguous New Castle County, Delaware tax parcels (10-049.00-073 on Hamburg Road and River Road and 12-002.00-025 on Governor Lea Road and South Dupont Highway) requires a CZA permit, is exempt from CZA permitting, or is prohibited by the CZA. The proposed activities included a two-phased development plan for the construction of 11 two-story buildings, 5 substations, one switch station, equipment yards, parking lots, driveways, stormwater management areas, and the installation of 516 generators. The Secretary’s decision was made in consideration of the status decision application, the public comments received, previous status decisions, and in consultation with legal counsel.

The decision can be found on the DNREC public notice web page at de.gov/dnrecnotices

Pursuant to 7 Del. C. § 7007(b), anyone wishing to appeal this decision to the State Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board (CZICB) must do so by end of day on February 18, 2026. A written appeal for this decision may be submitted by emailing DNREC_CZICB_Appeals@delaware.gov (note the underscores between DNREC and CZICB and Appeals) or to the following address:

CZICB
89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901

There is an appeal application fee of $100. If no appeal is received within the appeal period, this decision becomes final.

Related Topics:  climate coastal energy, coastal programs, coastal zone act, cza, permitting and regulation, public notice, status decision