Dickson City Borough, Lackawanna County
A company tied to Kriger Construction's Jim Marzolino wants four data center buildings on Bell Mountain in Dickson City. The borough limited data centers to its small manufacturing district, its zoning board upheld that rule in May 2026, and the dispute is now headed through Lackawanna County court.
Dickson City Development LLC registered in November 2025, and borough council began discussing a data center ordinance in December 2025. In January 2026 the company applied for four zoning permits in the commercial district, which the zoning officer denied. On Feb. 12, 2026, after about two and a half hours of public comment, council unanimously limited data centers to the manufacturing district by special exception. The developer appealed both the ordinance and the permit denial. The Zoning Hearing Board held its first hearing on the permit denial on April 29, and on May 20 it unanimously denied the developer's challenge to the ordinance, which the solicitor said sends the matter to county court. The permit-denial hearing was continued to May 27.
The developer hasn't told the borough how much power the campus would need, the solicitor said, and its lawyer argued that lines to the manufacturing district would have to run through residential neighborhoods.
WVIA NewsResidents at the Feb. 12, 2026 hearing raised noise, water and light pollution, including worries that data center noise would disrupt children's learning.
WVIA NewsThe campus would go on Bell Mountain in a residential/open space zone, and County Commissioner Bill Gaughan warned council that 'once the mountains are cut, they are cut.'
WVIA NewsThe developer argued the February 2026 data center ordinance was invalid on 65 points, including that the manufacturing district lacks room and high-voltage power for a data center.
Dickson City Development LLC v. Dickson City Borough · Denied unanimously May 20, 2026Appeal of the Zoning Hearing Board's denial of the developer's challenge to the data center ordinance.
Dickson City Development LLC; Dickson City Borough · Pending; the borough solicitor said in May 2026 the issue is now in the court's hands. No docket number has been published.Appeal of the denial of the four zoning use permits the developer sought for the Bell Mountain site.
Dickson City Development LLC; Dickson City Borough zoning officer · Hearing opened April 29, 2026 and was continued to May 27, 2026; no outcome reportedIn 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 →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 →