The future of a proposed data center in Newton Township hangs in balance as an appeal hearing is set to take place later this month. This hearing will determine whether the data center campus, intended to be built on a sprawling 90-acre property, will move forward after a zoning denial.
Owned by Popca LLC, with Mark Gawron as the contact on the application, the site is located on Newton Road, identified as the East Newton Ira Tripp Tract per Lackawanna County records. Gawron, who submitted the application on January 21, is seeking approval to erect a two-building data center campus.
Despite these plans, Newton’s Zoning Officer, D. Scot Haan, rejected the application on February 19, citing that the proposed use does not fit within the township’s rural resource zoning district. Consequently, Popca LLC filed an appeal on March 23, challenging this decision.
Details of the Data Center Proposal
The ambitious project aims to construct two buildings, each standing 35 feet tall and covering 145,200 square feet, which equates to three acres. Additional features of the project include two generation yards, a well, a septic system, a substation, a guard building, and facilities for stormwater management. The estimated cost for this development is around $280 million.
Legal representatives for Gawron from Vinsko & Associates argue that the denial is “erroneous as a matter of law and constitutes an improper determination and application of the Newton Twp. Zoning Ordinance.” They maintain that the data center falls under permissible uses such as commercial, institutional, utility-related, or light industrial activities within the township.
According to Pennsylvania state law, municipalities are required to zone for every potential use, suggesting that the township’s exclusion of data centers may not comply with state regulations.
Nearby Data Center Developments
Interestingly, Gawron’s proposed site is situated less than a mile from another data center project by Scranton Materials LLC. This project involves the construction of a six-building campus at a stone quarry in Ransom Township, adjacent to the city of Scranton. Each building in this project would be 214 feet by 732 feet, approximately 3.5 acres in size, and 120 feet tall.
Earlier this year, a packed hearing resulted in Ransom Township supervisors rejecting a zoning amendment needed for the Scranton Materials LLC project. This decision is now under appeal, with Attorney Michael Mey seeking site-specific relief from the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. Laura Magnotta, representing a local resident, has filed a petition to intervene in this appeal, citing procedural shortcomings in the original hearing.
The region is seeing a surge in data center proposals, with additional projects planned in Archbald, Clifton, Covington, and Dickson City.
What’s next
The Newton Twp. Zoning Hearing Board will hear Gawron’s appeal on April 27 at 7 p.m. in the municipal building, 1528 Newton Ransom Blvd., Clarks Summit.
