Ransom Township, Lackawanna County
A six-building data center campus proposed by quarry owner Scranton Materials LLC for its 251-acre property at 819 Newton Road in Ransom Township, Lackawanna County, on the West Scranton border; supervisors denied the needed zoning overlay and the company has appealed.
Nov. 25, 2025: Scranton Materials applies for a data center overlay. Dec. 15, 2025 and Jan. 12, 2026: planning commission reviews it and recommends against it as written. Jan. 15, 2026: the first hearing is moved because of the crowd. Jan. 20, 2026: supervisors deny the overlay 2-1. March 2026: Scranton Materials appeals to county court. June 2026: Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle rules the objector has standing. Oct. 5, 2026: Ransom enacts Ordinance No. 3 of 2026 regulating data centers.
The quarry sits above Scranton's Keyser Valley, which residents say already floods. Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti warned that disturbing the land and discharging cooling water could worsen stormwater problems near city flood projects.
FOX56 (WOLF)The concept plan showed two stormwater ponds of about 10 and 17 acres holding 8 million gallons, behind retaining walls up to 50 feet high and within 70 feet of property lines, according to the planning commission chair's testimony.
WVIA NewsSix buildings each about 214 by 732 feet and 120 feet tall would step up the hillside, with 250 feet of elevation between the lower and upper buildings, roughly a 20 to 25 story difference.
WVIA NewsResidents of the Fawnwood neighborhood a mile or two away told FOX56 they feared constant equipment noise from the hyperscale campus.
FOX56 (WOLF)Leaders: Gary DiBileo, president
Tactics: Turnout at hearings; public comment
Said residents are mobilizing as proposals spread across the county.
Appeal of the Jan. 20, 2026 denial of the data center overlay, filed in March 2026 by attorney Michael Mey, seeking site-specific relief. Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle ruled in June 2026 that the objector has standing.
Scranton Materials LLC v. Ransom Township; resident objector as intervenor · Pending; objector allowed to intervene; motion to quash filed (July 2026)Township minutes describe a declaratory judgment request by Scranton Materials that the township has objected to.
Scranton Materials LLC v. Ransom Township · Township objection filed; no response from Scranton Materials as of June 1, 2026In 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 →