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Withdrawn / Denied

Dorrance Twp ZHB Challenge (Brewster Land)

Dorrance Township, Luzerne County

A data center project in Dorrance Township, Luzerne County, and it is no longer proceeding in its original form.

Withdrawn / DeniedNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusDenied
First announced2025

Denied by Dorrance Township, Luzerne County

Current stage
The municipality denied the application.
Decision body
Dorrance Township
Top issues
Residents and officials have focused on water use, continuous mechanical noise, and emissions from backup generation.
Key opponents
~100 Dorrance residents (packed the Fire Hall both hearings)
Key supporters
Brewster Land Co. / planning consultant Erik Hetzel

Validity challenge filed against the 2007/2025 ordinance; hearings Mar 31 + May 6 2026 at the Dorrance Fire Hall; board member Dale Buchanan moved to deny; unanimous denial May 6 2026.

Community response

Who is organizing against it

Dorrance Township residents (vs Brewster)

Single-project ยท Founded 2025

Tactics: ~100 residents packed the Dorrance Twp Fire Hall across two hearings; applauded the unanimous denial of the validity challenge

Opposed Brewster Land Company's exclusionary-zoning challenge (P047); the ZHB found the ordinance does not unlawfully exclude data centers.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2026-05-06ZHB unanimously denies Brewster Land Co.'s exclusionary-zoning challenge Times Leader
Legal record

Filings and legal actions

  • ZHB appeal Luzerne Co CCP · (unassigned)

    Exclusionary-zoning challenge against Dorrance Twp.

    Brewster Land Co · Pending
  • 2026-01-01
    Substantive validity challenge Dorrance Township Zoning Hearing Board · (Dorrance ZHB)

    Challenge argued the 2007/2025 zoning ordinance unlawfully excludes data centers; sought site-specific relief for 6 buildings on a 155-ac B-2 parcel. Board found no unlawful exclusion; appeal to Luzerne CCP possible.

    Brewster Land Company LLC vs Dorrance Twp · Denied unanimously May 6 2026
News

Coverage of this project

Sources

Know your rights

In Pennsylvania, a data center on industrial land usually needs a special exception or conditional use, decided by a local Zoning Hearing Board after a public, quasi-judicial hearing. Neighbors can request party status, cross-examine witnesses, and build an evidentiary record. Municipalities can also write 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 ask your municipality for a moratorium and a real ordinance.

How communities push back →