Throop to consider DeNaples’ request for warehouses in environmental land
Throop Borough is considering a request from Theta Land Corp. to amend zoning to allow warehouses on over 700 acres of environmental conservation land, a move opposed by local environmental groups and the county planning department. This comes as residents are appealing a previously approved data center zoning ordinance in the same conservation district. The Borough Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and special meeting to discuss the warehouse zoning amendment.
Throop Borough Council is set to consider a controversial zoning amendment requested by Theta Land Corp., a company affiliated with Louis DeNaples, that would permit warehouse and distribution facilities on over 700 acres of land currently designated for environmental conservation. The proposed change would make warehouses a principal permitted use in one of Throop's most restrictive zoning districts along the Casey Highway. Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer Andy Hegedus clarified that the borough is not obligated to approve the request, as warehouses are already permitted in other zones, and the council must be convinced of its benefit.
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Throop Community Civic Center, followed by a special meeting for council members to deliberate on the amendment. Attorney Jeff Belardi, representing Theta Land Corp., has previously presented the request to the Throop Planning Commission and council, with Core5, an Atlanta-based warehouse developer, also involved. Core5 reportedly has contracts with Theta Land Corp. for warehouse projects, including one potentially on conservation land and another spanning Throop and Olyphant.
The proposal faces significant opposition, with both the Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission and the environmental group Friends of Lackawanna urging the council to deny the change. Mary Liz Donato, director of the Lackawanna County Planning Department, highlighted that allowing warehousing in conservation zones is unusual for the county and conflicts with Throop's stated preservation goals. Pat Clark of Friends of Lackawanna warned that such a zoning change could open the door for more impactful developments, especially given related proposals for data centers and power plants in the vicinity.
Notably, Throop Council previously voted in July to define and regulate data centers, creating a 351-acre overlay in the conservation district to conditionally allow these developments. However, a group of residents is currently appealing that specific data center zoning change, adding complexity to the borough's land use debates.