Data center proposed in Newton Twp.

Developer Mark Gawron, acting as Popca LLC, has proposed a new data center campus on a 76-acre property in Newton Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The plans involve two data center buildings totaling 290,400 square feet, along with supporting infrastructure like generation yards, a well, septic tank, and a substation, with an estimated cost of $280 million. Newton Township's zoning officer, Scot Haan, denied Gawron's permit request in February, stating that commercial land use, such as a data center, is not permitted in the township's rural resource zoning district. The township is part of the Scranton-Abingtons Planning Association (SAPA), a zoning collaborative where only one member municipality needs to allow a particular land use. Gawron's attorneys, William and Brian Vinsko, appealed the decision, arguing that the township's zoning ordinance unlawfully excludes legitimate commercial and industrial uses, including data centers, which they contend violates the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. They claim the property is uniquely suited for the project, which would promote economic development without adverse community impact, and have requested the zoning hearing board grant the permit and declare the ordinance invalid. A hearing for the appeal is scheduled for April 27. This proposal follows another data center project by Scranton Materials LLC in nearby Ransom Township, which was also denied, appealed, and is now the subject of a lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment against the supervisors. Both cases highlight ongoing challenges in Lackawanna County as developers pursue data center projects, often near high-tension power lines, for AI and cloud computing needs.