Hollenback Township Landowner Rezoning (Luzerne County)
Hollenback Township, Luzerne County
A landowner curative amendment filed in January 2026 asks Hollenback Township to rezone about 460 acres from open space and agricultural-residential to industrial for data centers; the March 1 hearing closed without testimony after a dispute over notice.
The project by the numbers
Thirty-one landowners want 460 acres of Hollenback Township rezoned for data centers
- Developer
- No developer or tenant has been named; the applicants are 31 property owners represented by attorney Donald G. Karpowich.
- Tenant
- None named.
- Current stage
- The township's board closed the March 1, 2026 curative amendment hearing without taking testimony after the landowners' attorney objected to the notice and the township's offer of a 30-day continuance. The Times Leader reported the dispute was expected to move to court. The township separately advanced its own amendment allowing data centers by special exception.
- Decision body
- Hollenback Township Board of Supervisors (curative amendment); Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas if the landowners appeal
- Top issues
- Rezoning of farmland and open space; notice and procedure for the hearing; no named developer or tenant
How we got here
January 21, 2026: the 31-landowner request is first reported. February 3, 2026: supervisors appoint special counsel. February 18, 2026: hearing on the township's own data center and solar zoning amendment. March 1, 2026: curative amendment hearing closed without testimony.
Update, October 26, 2026. On March 26, 2026 the Hollenback Township supervisors unanimously tabled a motion to replace special counsel Edward Neyhart with attorney Michael G. Crotty of the Siana Law Firm, according to the Times Leader and 28/22 News. No new date for that vote was reported.
How it has unfolded
- 2026-01-21Landowner curative amendment to rezone about 460 acres for data centers is first reported Times Leader
- 2026-02-03Supervisors appoint Edward Neyhart as special counsel on the data center matter Times Leader
- 2026-02-18Hearing on the township's own data center and solar zoning amendment, which would allow data centers by special exception Times Leader
- 2026-03-01Curative amendment hearing in the township maintenance garage closes without testimony after the landowners' attorney objects to the notice and the township's offer of a continuance Times Leader
- 2026-03-26At a special meeting, supervisors unanimously table a motion to appoint attorney Michael G. Crotty of the Siana Law Firm as special counsel on the data center zoning matter in place of Edward Neyhart. Times Leader
Coverage of this project
- 2026-03-27 28/22 News (WBRE/WYOU)Vote tabled in meeting over special counselResidents ask the board to keep the current special counsel on the data center zoning matter, and the board tables the vote to replace him without setting a new date.
- 2026-03-26 Times LeaderHollenback Township supervisors put off vote to replace solicitorSupervisors unanimously table a motion to appoint attorney Michael G. Crotty as special counsel on the data center zoning matter in place of the attorney appointed February 3, and the paper reports the landowners' rezoning request will move to court.
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 →