Salem Twp. Planning Commission OKs data center overlay expansion

The Salem Township Planning Commission in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, has voted 2-1 to recommend the expansion of a special data center overlay zone, a move intended to facilitate the development of a third data center campus within the township. The proposed expansion covers approximately 4,466 acres.

The decision elicited a divided response from the community. Landowners, represented by Jack Sordoni of 4-3 Consulting and 4-3 Glennbrook Group, applauded the vote, anticipating a combined $1.2 billion in sales to an unnamed data center company. Opponents, however, expressed dismay. Alternate commissioner Scott Bellum voiced significant concerns, noting that Luzerne County's strategic plan designates much of the land as prime farmland. Bellum questioned the impact of nearly half of the township becoming a data center overlay, arguing it could undermine the community's diversity and long-term character.

During public comments, supporters, including Ginger Peters, whose 90-year-old father is a landowner, emphasized the economic prosperity and job creation similar to the past construction of a nearby nuclear power plant. They highlighted the opportunity for families to sell property and invest locally. Conversely, resident Teri Barren criticized the process, alleging a lack of transparency and disputing prior communications from Sordoni's team regarding a previous land buyout for the QTS Salem data center campus. Barren also submitted an environmental impact study on data centers to the commissioners.

The proposed overlay expansion will now proceed to the Salem Township supervisors for a final decision.