Potential Next Uses

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

October 27, 2025

One of the priorities here at the State Chamber is to “right-size” our housing market so that working-age Delawareans can find housing options that suit their needs, as well as downsize options for retirees or “empty nesters” who might want to sell the lawn mower and the rake! A few weeks ago, I mentioned that we have several public schools across the state with enrollments today that fill only 50% of the building capacity they occupy. That should come as no surprise since many of our older schools were built to accommodate the Baby Boom generation—children from neighborhoods bursting with families and kids (plural!). A school building that was constructed to support 600 students may have barely 300 students in the building today, and future projections show that number flattening out or maybe even declining further.

While thinking about this problem and drawing upon my experience as a city council member and mayor, I wondered what a school in a neighborhood could be repurposed to. I landed on senior centers and senior living options as potential next uses. School buildings are typically in residential neighborhoods, so reusing these sites as housing aligns with existing zoning requirements. The buildings typically have wide hallways, food and recreation areas, along with classrooms that can be suitable for many things. Finally, the surrounding ball fields are potential open spaces for walking trails or sites for newly constructed senior housing. Transitioning these buildings to senior living would be great for seniors who wish to stay in their neighborhoods, use familiar routes to visit healthcare providers, family, and friends, and fulfill shopping needs.

The cost to maintain school buildings running at a fraction of their capacity is not a winning strategy. Options like what I have outlined could be part of a housing solution for working-age families and for our seniors too.

News You Can Use

We kick off the week on Tuesday with October’s consumer confidence numbers, followed on Wednesday by the FOMC interest rate decision at 2:00 p.m. and Chairman Powell’s press conference shortly thereafter. We’ll see third-quarter GDP data on Thursday and receive key indicators such as personal income and consumer spending on Friday.

Arch Capital, Avis Budget, Bed Bath & Beyond, Noble Corporation, Olin, Principal Financial, and Waste Management are part of a full lineup of companies with earnings calls today. Tuesday's calls include Carrier Global, Check Point Software, Corning, Incyte, PayPal, Smithfield Foods, Sysco, UnitedHealth, UPS, Bloom Energy, Caesars Entertainment, GeneDx, PPG Industries, Visa and others. Boeing, Caterpillar, Centene, CVS Health, Fresh Del Monte, Navient, Alphabet, Carvana, DaVita, Ethan Allen, FMC Corp, MGM Resorts, Microsoft, Starbucks, Tyler Tech, and Wolfspeed are among a long list of Thursday calls. We wrap up on Friday with Altria, Baxter, BorgWarner, Comcast, KBR, Mastercard, Merck, PBF Energy, S&P Global, Trane, Xcel Energy and others.

Michael J. Quaranta

President

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

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