Firm tied to Project Gold data center campus buys 200-plus acres in Covington Twp.

Doylestown-based Goldsboro Land LLC, an entity affiliated with Project Gold developer 1778 Rich Pike LLC, recently purchased nearly 209 acres in Covington Twp., Pennsylvania, for $2.5 million. These acquisitions, along with a previous purchase, bring Goldsboro Land's total holdings for the proposed data center campus to over 300 contiguous acres. The land is located within a data center, energy, and technology district in Covington Twp., where data centers are permitted as conditional uses following a zoning ordinance amendment by township supervisors in July. Project Gold, proposed by 1778 Rich Pike LLC, aims to develop a data center campus spanning approximately 1,000 acres across Clifton and Covington townships. Initial plans detailed nearly three dozen data centers, though later proposals, part of a now-vacated settlement agreement, suggested five larger data centers in Clifton Twp. The project's development is currently stalled in court. Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Powell vacated his January 5 approval of a settlement agreement on January 30. This agreement involved Clifton Twp., 1778 Rich Pike, and JCO LLC, a property owner set to sell over 500 acres for the campus. The Clifton Twp. Zoning Hearing Board petitioned the court to vacate the settlement, arguing they were excluded despite their opposition. Covington Twp. also intervened, asserting the settlement's restrictions on infrastructure in Clifton Twp. would unfairly shift development burdens to Covington's portion of the site. Prior to the settlement being vacated, the Clifton Twp. Zoning Hearing Board had unanimously denied 1778 Rich Pike's challenge to the township's zoning ordinance, which alleged the ordinance unlawfully excluded data centers. The developer appealed this denial, and Judge Powell has allowed a supplemental land use appeal to proceed. The court case remains ongoing.