Building the Era: Delaware Modernizes Permitting to Expand Affordable Housing, Infrastructure and Economic Development
This spotlight is the first in Next American Era’s “Building the Era” series — a monthly look at governance that strengthens communities, fuels innovation, and expands economic opportunity for Americans across the country.
The Problem: Delaware’s outdated permitting system has made it difficult to build the homes, schools, and infrastructure that Delawareans need. Approval timelines for major builds can stretch up to 18–24 months — or sometimes even longer — raising costs, delaying critical services, and ultimately discouraging growth, development, and investment in the state.
At the same time, rising costs for housing and other necessities are straining residents’ budgets.
Nearly 49% of Delaware renters are spending 30% of their income on housing.
Approximately one in five homeowners face similar pressures.
Delaware clocks in as the 13th most expensive state for utilities in the country, exacerbating the already heavy financial burden on both families and businesses.
These challenges are connected. When it’s harder to build, less housing and infrastructure gets off the ground, driving up costs for residents.
The Solution: In February, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed Executive Order 18, creating a statewide Permitting Accelerator to fast-track priority infrastructure projects — including housing, energy, broadband, and water infrastructure.
The initiative aims to:
Set clear timelines — targeting roughly four-month approvals for priority projects.
Foster collaboration between agencies to speed up permitting reviews.
Provide developers and communities with predictable pathways to move forward without sacrificing environmental protections.
This executive order is a huge step forward for families and growth in the state.
Faster approvals mean more affordable homes, stronger local economies, and well-paying jobs. Greater certainty helps businesses and communities plan for and invest in the future.
Other states should take a page from Delaware’s book. The Permitting Accelerator is a pragmatic blueprint for lawmakers looking to modernize approval systems and deliver the essentials residents need, not by lowering standards, but by making government work better and more efficiently.
As Delaware State Housing Authority Director Matt Heckles said, “we haven’t built housing that is affordable to regular families… we blame developers a lot of times. . . but what happens is they are only building what our regulatory framework allows.”