All Pennsylvania projects
Contested

Newton Township / Popca LLC

Newton Township, Lackawanna County

A two-building data center campus of about 290,400 square feet proposed by Popca LLC for a 90-acre rural tract on Newton Road in Newton Township, Lackawanna County, with no end user named.

ContestedMid-sizeTBD/UndisclosedGreenfieldNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusOn Appeal
Building area290,400 sq ft
Site90 acres
Capex$ 0.28 B
First announced2026-01-21
Target onlineTBD

Two-building campus on hold before Newton Township's Zoning Hearing Board

The number that mattersThe applicant estimates the two-building campus would cost $280 million, according to the application described by WVIA.
Developer
Popca LLC of 427 Main St., Archbald, the landowner and applicant. Vinsko & Associates of Wilkes-Barre represents Popca in the appeal.
Tenant
Not disclosed. No end user has been named publicly.
Current stage
The zoning officer denied the application in February 2026 because data centers aren't an allowed use in the Rural Resource district. Popca's appeal is before the township's Zoning Hearing Board, and the April 27, 2026 hearing was continued at the applicant's request. Supervisors' minutes through September 14, 2026 and the October 12 agenda show no new hearing date.
Decision body
Newton Township Zoning Hearing Board (appeal of the zoning officer's denial). Any later appeal would go to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas.
Top issues
Whether a township in a shared planning area can leave data centers out of its own zoning, the conversion of a rural 90-acre tract, groundwater use from an on-site well, backup power from two generation yards, and how little is known about the end user.
Key opponents
No organized opposition group has been reported. Township officials have taken the position that data centers aren't allowed in Newton under the regional planning area plan.
Key supporters
The applicant, Popca LLC, and its lawyers, who argue the township unlawfully excludes data centers and that the use fits Newton's commercial, institutional, utility or light industrial categories.

How we got here

Jan. 21, 2026: Popca LLC files a zoning application. Feb. 19, 2026: zoning officer D. Scot Haan denies it. Feb. 25, 2026: the planning commission decides a separate data center ordinance isn't needed. March 9, 2026: supervisors hear that recommendation and the zoning officer agrees to ask the county about the regional planning area's update. March 23, 2026: Popca appeals to the Zoning Hearing Board. April 13, 2026: supervisors announce the April 27 hearing. April 15, 2026: Data Center Dynamics and Baxtel report the proposal. April 27, 2026: the scheduled hearing is continued at the applicant's request. Aug. 10, 2026: supervisors say data centers aren't allowed in Newton under the regional plan.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Air quality

Medium

The application includes two generation yards for backup power next to the two buildings, according to WVIA's review of the plans.

WVIA

Water

Medium

The campus would rely on an on-site well and septic system on a rural 90-acre tract, along with two stormwater management facilities, according to the application.

WVIA

Visual and light

Low

Two 35-foot buildings would each cover 145,200 square feet, about three acres apiece, on land zoned Rural Resource, along with a substation and guard building.

WVIA
Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2026-01-21Popca LLC files a zoning application for a two-building data center campus on Newton Road. WVIA
  • 2026-01-28The planning commission discusses data centers; the zoning officer says he considers them industrial and not allowed in Newton. Newton Township
  • 2026-02-19Zoning officer denies Popca data-center application (use not allowed in Rural Resource district) WVIA
  • 2026-02-25The planning commission concludes no data center ordinance is needed because industrial uses are assigned to other towns in Newton's regional planning area. Newton Township
  • 2026-03-09Supervisors hear the planning commission's view that a data center ordinance may not be needed, and the zoning officer agrees to ask the county about the regional planning area's update. Newton Township
  • 2026-03-23Popca appeal filed
  • 2026-04-13Supervisors announce the Zoning Hearing Board will meet April 27 to hear Popca LLC's appeal over two data centers. Newton Township
  • 2026-04-15Trade press reports Popca's two-building campus and the pending appeal. Data Center Dynamics
  • 2026-04-27The Zoning Hearing Board hearing on Popca's appeal is continued at the applicant's request.
  • 2026-05-11Supervisors report the Popca appeal hearing was continued at the applicant's request, with no new date and the applicant waiving time limits. Newton Township
  • 2026-08-10Asked about a data center ordinance, supervisors say data centers aren't allowed in Newton under the regional planning area plan. Newton Township
  • 2026-09-14Supervisors' September meeting minutes record no new hearing date or ruling on the Popca appeal. Newton Township
Legal record

Filings and legal actions

  • 2026-03-23
    Zoning appeal Newton Township Zoning Hearing Board · n/a

    Appeal of zoning-officer denial; Vinsko & Associates argue the township unlawfully excludes data centers (PA municipalities must zone for every use).

    Popca LLC v. Newton Township · April 27, 2026 hearing continued at the applicant's request; no new date set as of May 11, 2026; applicant waived time limits
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 →