Hearing on proposed Newton Twp. data center continued

Residents of Newton Township, Pennsylvania, will have to wait longer to testify on a proposed data center project, as a zoning hearing board meeting was continued at the developer's request. Popca LLC is seeking a zoning permit to construct two data center buildings on a nearly 76-acre site on Newton Road, with a stated project cost of $280 million. The township's zoning officer, Scot Haan, denied the initial application in February, citing that commercial land use, including data centers, is not permitted in the rural resource zoning district. Attorneys William and Brian Vinsko, representing developer Mark Gawron (operating as Popca LLC), appealed Haan's decision in March. They argue that the denial improperly excludes a legitimate land use in violation of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. The appeal claims the proposed data center facilities are similar to existing commercial, institutional, utility-related, or light industrial uses allowed in the township. The Scranton-Abingtons Planning Association (SAPA), a zoning collaborative that includes Newton Township, currently lacks specific zoning language for data centers, prompting Lackawanna County officials to advise member municipalities to address such proposals independently. This development is the second data center proposal in the Abingtons region. A separate project by Scranton Materials LLC for a data center campus in nearby Ransom Township also faced opposition. Ransom Township's Board of Supervisors dismissed a curative amendment filed by Scranton Materials LLC, which challenged the validity of the township's zoning ordinance. Scranton Materials LLC has since appealed that decision and filed a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment against the supervisors, with both legal actions currently ongoing.