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67-69 Public Square Data Center Listing (Avison Young, Wilkes-Barre)

City of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County

DEP's tracker lists an unnamed Avison Young data center in Wilkes-Barre, and its map point lands on the former Luzerne Bank Building at 67-69 Public Square. Avison Young is marketing the building for sale or lease and says its power can be expanded to 13 megawatts for data center, AI or crypto-mining use.

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At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusSpeculative / Exploratory
Capacity13 MW
Building area93,410 sq ft
First announced2025-06-07

Downtown Wilkes-Barre high-rise marketed as a data center site with up to 13 megawatts

The number that mattersAvison Young's listing says the building has '3MW of existing power, expandable to 13MW - ideal for data center, AI, or Crypto-mining infrastructure.'
Developer
No developer has been named. Avison Young, a commercial real estate firm, is the listing broker. Data Center Dynamics reported the owner is Bloxton Investment Group, which bought the building in 2022.
Tenant
No new data center tenant has been announced. Avison Young's brochure lists about 3,500 square feet already in data center use, and Data Center Dynamics reported that Nebula Data Centers, linked to the owner, operates out of the building.
Current stage
Marketing stage as of October 22, 2026. The Avison Young listing is still active, and DEP lists the project as proposed with no applications received and permits to be determined.
Decision body
City of Wilkes-Barre Planning and Zoning office for any change of use under the building's C-3 central commercial zoning; Pennsylvania DEP for any state permits, which it lists as 'To Be Determined.'
Top issues
Power demand in a downtown building (3 MW now, up to 13 MW advertised); data center use in a building that also holds apartments and offices; the listing's invitation to crypto-mining; no named buyer or tenant
Key opponents
No organized opposition aimed at this building has been reported. A small protest against data center development in general was held on Public Square on July 18, 2026, as part of a national day of protest.
Key supporters
Avison Young's listing promotes the building for data center, AI or crypto-mining use. No public officials have endorsed a data center there.

How we got here

Bloxton Investment Group bought the building in 2022, and Luzerne Bank, its anchor tenant since 2001, moved out in 2024, according to Data Center Dynamics. On June 7, 2025, Data Center Dynamics reported the building was listed for sale through Avison Young with 3 megawatts of power expandable to 13. Avison Young's 2025 brochure describes it as a historic mixed-use opportunity with about 3,500 square feet already used as a data center. As of Oct. 22, 2026, the listing is still active, and DEP's tracker lists an unnamed Avison Young data center at the building's location with no applications received.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Energy costs and the grid

Medium

Avison Young advertises 3 megawatts of existing power at the building, 'expandable to 13MW,' for data center, AI or crypto-mining use in the middle of downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Avison Young

Public safety

Low

The brochure lists three apartment floors (about 25,135 square feet) and seven office floors in the building today, so any larger data center use would share the building with homes and workplaces.

Avison Young

Environmental justice and site legacy

Low

The building sits in a federal Qualified Opportunity Zone, which Avison Young's brochure describes as a program aimed at economically distressed communities.

Avison Young
Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2022Bloxton Investment Group buys the building, according to Data Center Dynamics. Data Center Dynamics
  • 2024Luzerne Bank, the anchor tenant since 2001, leaves the building, according to Data Center Dynamics. Data Center Dynamics
  • 2025-06-07Data Center Dynamics reports the building is listed for sale through Avison Young with 3 MW of power expandable to 13 MW. Data Center Dynamics
  • 2025-08-28Avison Young's brochure markets the building as a mixed-use opportunity and lists about 3,500 square feet in data center use. Avison Young
  • 2026-10-22DEP's Data Center Permit Tracker lists an unnamed Avison Young data center at this location with no applications received and permits to be determined. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
News

Coverage of this project

Sources

Know your rights

In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.

Know your rights →

Take action

Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.

How communities push back →