Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro cut the ribbon during a ceremony held on Tuesday to commemorate the opening of the Delaware Department of Insurance’s new Dover office location at 1351 West North Street, Suite 101 in Dover. The Department moved from its original location in the Silver Lake Office Complex in Dover to its new location on July 15, 2019.
The Department began its relocation efforts in 2018 to improve Delaware consumers’ ability to visit the office so their needs could be better met. This included expanded parking, and improved handicap access, in addition to a significant rent savings of over $150,000 during the first year.
Commissioner Navarro mentioned the rent savings over the 15-year lease term with DGKP North (the building’s owner) that would exceed $2 million from what the rent was in the previous location. Additional savings were cited by the Commissioner that included relocating existing furniture, computers, video equipment, and reducing document storage by more than 100 square feet. Several construction modifications were made to the interior of the previous office that became cramped over the past 2 decades, and the Department of Insurance was out of space. The new building is a more efficient design employing the latest technology for energy efficiency. The footprint of the new building is a 13% increase in space, but a 30% reduction in rent per square foot.
Commissioner Navarro stated, “I’m pleased that we were able to move to a new building with these enhancements, and save taxpayers money at the same time. We now have a conference room that can accommodate our entire staff. A move of this magnitude is never easy. I have to commend our internal staff who worked on this project, as it was completed on time, and on budget.”
