Ransom Twp. supervisors poised to vote on data center ordinance
Ransom Township supervisors are set to vote on an ordinance establishing zoning and development requirements for data centers. The action follows the township's rejection of Scranton Materials LLC's proposed six-building campus, which has led to ongoing litigation, while another company has acquired land for a potential hyperscale campus.
Ransom Township supervisors are scheduled to vote on an ordinance regulating data center development nearly a year after the municipality received its first proposal. The measure would allow data centers as conditional uses in designated commercial and manufacturing districts, with requirements covering height, lot size, buffering, wastewater, air quality, noise, lighting, emissions, and fuel and battery storage.
The ordinance follows the township's rejection of Scranton Materials LLC's proposed six-data-center campus at its 251-acre quarry on Newton Road. Scranton Materials has appealed the decision and filed a separate lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment, while a Lackawanna County judge recently ruled that a Scranton resident could oppose the project despite living outside the township. Separately, Mudiita Land Venture LLC purchased more than 528 acres for a potential hyperscale data center campus; officials have not said how the new ordinance could affect the litigation or future proposals.