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Data center campus · near Newark (unincorporated, off Ogletown Road / Del. 273), New Castle County, Delaware

White Clay Center data center (Newark)

Proposed as of July 2, 2026

Shelbourne filed plans to replace seven 1980s office and industrial buildings on a 44-acre site near Newark with a three-building campus of roughly 850,000 sq ft, which was paused in mid-2026 under an informal deal with a county councilman. Also known as: White Clay Corporate Center, White Clay Business Center.

Cite← Delaware data centers
Kent CountyNew Castle CountySussex CountyWhite Clay Center data center (Newark) · Proposed
PowerNot statedNot reported in the records found
Floor area847,000sq ft
Site44acres

Who is behind it

ProjectWhite Clay Center data center (Newark)Also: White Clay Corporate Center, White Clay Business Center
Developer and teamShelbourne
End userNot found in the recordsNot yet named in any record or credited report we have found.

The record, newest first

  1. Councilman Tim Sheldon said he had brokered an informal pause with the developer's attorney, reflected in a June 10 email. Spotlight Delaware noted that because the zoning already allows data centers, the county likely could not deny the plan. Sheldon said he would look for another company to buy or lease the land. (Spotlight Delaware, July 2, 2026)

  2. WHYY reported that the Newark-area application is subject to neither the new county data center rules nor the Coastal Zone Act. Spotlight Delaware noted that the site's existing zoning already allows data centers. (WHYY, March 11, 2026; Spotlight Delaware, March 19, 2026)

  3. Shelbourne filed exploratory plans with New Castle County to demolish seven 1980s office and industrial buildings and build three light-industrial buildings, with the complex totaling about 847,000 sq ft. Spotlight Delaware dated the Verdantas filing to early December and gave 676,000 sq ft. (Newark Post, Dec. 18, 2025; Spotlight Delaware, Dec. 16, 2025)

Conflicts and open questions

  • No MW figure has been reported. It is kept because it is an active filed proposal.
  • Coordinates are approximate, set from White Clay Center Drive (OpenStreetMap) off Ogletown Road, which the Newark Post places across from CarMax. No exact address is used.
  • The pause is not binding, and the developer keeps the legal right to build. No lawsuit was found.

The full record

Status note
Plans are filed with New Castle County; in mid-2026 a county councilman said the developer had informally agreed to pause the data center use, a non-binding arrangement.
Power note
No MW figure has been stated. Delmarva records list an early-stage New Castle County request of undetermined size, which Technical.ly said might be this site (not confirmed).
Evidence
News reports; primary records not yet obtained
Size class
Under 50 MW (outside main scope; kept for completeness)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.