On the second day of the New Year, January 2, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., Delaware State Representative Ed Osienski held the monthly voter coffee meeting at the Newark Senior Center, introducing the latest developments in the area and answering questions from constituents. Newcastle County Councilwoman Valerie George also attended the meeting.
One of the most discussed topics was the controversy surrounding the construction of a data center in Delaware. With the rise of artificial intelligence, data centers are emerging across the United States. However, the operation of data centers requires a large amount of electricity, and cooling also requires a significant amount of water. In some places, such as Chandler, Arizona, residents have opposed the construction of an artificial intelligence data center due to concerns about water usage.
On December 2, 2025, engineering consulting company Verdantas applied to build a data center near Newark city, less than a mile from the main street of Newark and adjacent to the IFF chemical plant. The application has been submitted to the county’s land use application process, and the entire project approval process may take up to a year.
Prior to this, Newcastle County had confirmed the application to build the Washington Project data center, proposed by Starwood Digital Ventures in June 2025, to build a 6 million square foot data center near Delaware City. The project is currently in the approval process, part of which requires a vote by the county council to rezone land use.
According to the Washington Project website, the project will bring nearly $10 billion in economic output, $75 million in annual tax revenue, 3,500 construction jobs, and 700 high-paying permanent positions. The proposed location is in an industrial area of Delaware City, 1,700 feet away from the nearest residential area, well exceeding the local regulations for high-intensity heavy industry (1,000 feet), ensuring that noise will not impact residential areas. The project is projected to be completed within 8 to 10 years.
Despite the significant economic benefits and employment opportunities brought by large data centers making lawmakers hesitant to refuse, concerns from residents about increased energy costs, water usage, and noise have arisen. This led to the Delaware Public Service Commission (PSC) temporarily halting new data centers from accessing the power grid. Newcastle County is considering implementing new regulations to manage the impact of data centers.
Councilwoman George pointed out that even if the data center is not built in Delaware but in neighboring states, residents of Delaware would still see an increase in electricity bills because a large portion of the state’s electricity is already provided by large regional power suppliers. Representative Osienski jokingly expressed his wish to build the data center in space to alleviate residents’ concerns.
Representative Osienski also paid tribute to the late State Trooper Matthew T. “Ty” Snook who tragically lost his life just before Christmas. He will attend a memorial service for Trooper Snook on Monday at the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware. Trooper Snook, after being shot, pushed a DMV employee out of harm’s way and urged everyone to run before being shot again by the assailant. Another officer then shot and killed the perpetrator.
Another topic of the meeting was the recent changes in property tax and school tax bills, which differ from previous bills. Councilwoman George reminded residents that if they need a refund, they can call their county councilor for assistance or apply for a refund online at bit.ly/TaxBillRefundRequest.