Salem Twp. planning commission OKs data center overlay a 2nd time
The Salem Township Planning Commission has re-approved the expansion of a Special Data Center Overlay district after an initial approval was invalidated by a Luzerne County judge for violating the state Sunshine Act. This zoning amendment, which is part of a potential $1.2 billion land sale, will now proceed to the township supervisors for final consideration. The approval allows the land sale for a data center campus to move forward, though the specific developer has not yet been named.
The Salem Township Planning Commission has, for the second time, recommended the expansion of a Special Data Center Overlay district. This decision by four commissioners—John Fogg, Randy Rinehimer, John Bower Jr., and Chairman Paul Hess—sends the zoning map amendment to the township supervisors for their ultimate approval, facilitating a potential $1.2 billion land sale for a new data center campus on 4,466 acres.
The re-vote was necessitated after a Luzerne County judge invalidated the commission's initial July 23 meeting, ruling it was in violation of the state's Sunshine Act. Commissioner Susan Lynn abstained from the recent vote due to her ownership of land within the proposed overlay district.
Should the township supervisors grant their approval, the zoning amendment would allow the sale of property belonging to 194 township owners within the overlay district. The applicant, 4-3 Glennbrook Group, has not yet disclosed the identity of the prospective data center developer.