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Valley View Data Center (DBT-Data Lackawanna One, Valley View Business Park, Jessup)

Jessup Borough, Lackawanna County

DBT-Data Lackawanna One LLC has a conditional use application before Jessup Borough Council for the Valley View Data Center, and the borough hired reviewers in October 2026 for hearings it expected at the end of the month.

ContestedTBD/UndisclosedNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusApplication Filed
First announced2026-10-07

DBT-Data seeks conditional use approval for a data center in Jessup's Valley View Business Park

The number that mattersBefore DBT's application reached the borough, its chief executive told WVIA that Pennsylvania's conditional use process was "the most restrictive I've seen in my 36-year career as a principal owner," and that a conditional use submission costs $1 million to $2 million.
Developer
DBT-Data Lackawanna One LLC, which carries the name of DBT-DATA, a data center site developer led by president and CEO David Tolson. Myers, Brier & Kelly represents DBT Data, with attorney Neil Thatcher listed as its lawyer.
Tenant
No tenant named.
Current stage
The conditional use application is pending before Jessup Borough Council. In October 2026 the borough's agendas listed proposals from engineering, planning, sound and air quality reviewers and a motion to hire special counsel, and a consultant's scope anticipated hearings on October 28 and 29, 2026. We found no notice or report confirming those hearings took place, and no decision has been reported.
Decision body
Jessup Borough Council (conditional use); later land development review by the Jessup Planning Commission and council; state permits from DEP.
Top issues
Noise and air emissions (the borough lined up an acoustics firm and an air emissions reviewer); size and power demand.

How we got here

December 2025: David Tolson hosts Lackawanna County officials in Loudoun County, Virginia and says he has letters of interest on two Lackawanna County properties. October 7, 2026: council agenda lists four reviewer proposals for the DBT Data Center application. October 13, 2026: special meeting agenda lists hiring Marshall Dennehey as special counsel; the consultant scope anticipates hearings October 28 and 29. October 31, 2026: WVIA reports Myers, Brier & Kelly represents DBT Data.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2025-12-10Tolson hosts Lackawanna County officials, including Jessup council members, in Northern Virginia and says he has letters of intent on two Lackawanna County properties. WVIA News
  • 2026-10-07The agenda includes proposals from Benesch, Environmental Planning and Design, JMS Acoustics and EmPower to review the DBT Data Center conditional use application. Jessup Borough
  • 2026-10-13A special meeting agenda includes hiring Marshall Dennehey as special counsel for the DBT Data Center conditional use hearings. Jessup Borough
  • 2026-10-13EmPower's review scope names DBT-Data Lackawanna One LLC as applicant for the Valley View Data Center and says hearings are anticipated October 28 and 29, 2026. Jessup Borough
  • 2026-10-31WVIA reports Myers, Brier & Kelly represents DBT Data, with attorney Neil Thatcher listed as DBT's lawyer. WVIA News
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 →