All Pennsylvania projects
Contested

Newton Township / Popca LLC

Newton Township, Lackawanna County

A project of roughly 290,400 square feet proposed for Newton Township, Lackawanna County, and the end user has not been named publicly.

ContestedMid-sizeGreenfieldNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusOn Appeal
Footprint290,400 sq ft
Site90 acres
First announced2025-01
Target onlineTBD

Denied locally, now on appeal in Newton Township, Lackawanna County

The number that mattersThe site runs to about 90 acres.
Tenant
Not disclosed. No end user has been named publicly.
Current stage
The local decision has been appealed and the outcome now rests with the courts.
Decision body
Newton Township
Top issues
Residents and officials have focused on the conversion of open land or farmland, how little has been disclosed about the end user, water use, continuous mechanical noise, and emissions from backup generation.
Key opponents
Newton/Lackawanna residents amid the broader county surge
Key supporters
Landowner Gawron / Vinsko & Associates

Application filed Jan 21 2026; zoning officer D. Scot Haan denied Feb 19; appeal filed Mar 23; ZHB hearing Apr 27 2026.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2026-02-19Newton Twp zoning officer denies Popca
  • 2026-02-19Zoning officer denies Popca data-center application (use not allowed in Rural Resource district) WVIA
  • 2026-03-23Popca appeal filed
  • 2026-04-27Newton Twp ZHB hearing
Legal record

Filings and legal actions

  • 2026-03-23
    ZHB appeal Newton Twp ZHB · (local)

    Appeal of zoning officer denial.

    Popca · Pending hearing 4/27/26
  • 2026-03-23
    Zoning appeal Newton Township Zoning Hearing Board · (Newton ZHB)

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

    Popca LLC (Mark Gawron) vs Newton Twp · Heard Apr 27 2026; decision pending
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 →