DOVER, Del. - Delaware is updating the way it plans for growth, with Sussex County the central focus of a new executive order from Governor Matt Meyer.
On Friday, Jan. 30, Meyer signed Executive Order #16, certifying the 2025 update to the Delaware Strategies for State Policies and Spending, a statewide planning guide that helps steer where the state invests in roads, infrastructure, economic development, and land preservation.
“Growth works best when it’s smart, protecting our environment while enabling economic growth and job creation,” Governor Meyer said. “We urgently must protect open spaces, protect farmland and our farm families, add to the vibrancy of our downtowns, and create policies for workforce housing to be plentiful. By updating the State Strategies, we’re doing just that, in collaboration with local governments.”
While the order applies statewide, it puts immediate attention on Sussex County, launching a seven-month coordinated planning effort between the state and county beginning in January 2026. State officials say that work is intended to help jump-start Sussex County’s comprehensive plan update and strengthen long-term growth planning, as development continues to accelerate downstate.
A major piece of the order directs the Office of State Planning Coordination and the Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues to establish “Corridor Planning Areas” along key transportation routes and regions. The goal is to better connect land-use decisions with transportation planning, tackling issues like congestion, safety and accessibility. Meyer’s order also aims to keep environmental protection and preservation key aspects to include in the planning.
The executive order also starts a 2026 “Smart Growth Visioning” process that will bring together state agencies, local governments, and partners outside state government to look at Delaware’s future land-use patterns, population trends, infrastructure plans, and climate preparedness. The process is also expected to examine how well current state incentives are working and identify tools to help all local jurisdictions improve planning capacity and prepare for flooding and rising sea levels.
Along with the planning work, the order expands Delaware’s Downtown Development District Program to the statutory maximum of 15 districts, up from 12, opening the door for more communities to qualify for incentives tied to redevelopment and new projects. Applications for new or expanded districts are set to open Feb. 4, 2026.
Friday’s order additionally calls for changes to the state’s Preliminary Land Use Service review process, directing planners to streamline coordination, expand fast-track access for priority projects like housing.
Under the executive order, state departments and agencies are required to use the updated Delaware Strategies as a guide for policy, infrastructure, and investment decisions, a step the administration says will make state spending more consistent and transparent. But in the near term, much of the focus is downstate, where the Sussex County planning process is expected to set the tone for how Delaware manages growth along its busiest corridors while trying to keep services and infrastructure from falling behind.