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Withdrawn / Denied

West Hazleton (One Trinity)

West Hazleton Borough, Luzerne County

Engineers for the owner of a light industrial site behind the Valmont Shopping Plaza tested in 2025 whether a data center could go there, and the request was denied because West Hazleton's zoning code doesn't list data centers as a permitted use.

Withdrawn / DeniedTBD/UndisclosedNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusDenied
First announced2025-09-23

West Hazleton turns away a data center pitch for land behind the Valmont Plaza

The number that mattersThe land already had approval for a 600,000-square-foot warehouse before its owner tried pitching it for a data center.
Developer
No data center developer has been named. The land belongs to One Trinity Real Estate Investments, according to Data Center Dynamics, and RJD Engineering presented the plans to the borough.
Tenant
There's no project tenant, and the project engineer told the planning commission in September 2025 that no data center developer had signed on.
Current stage
Data Center Dynamics reported on October 22, 2025 that the request was denied because the borough's zoning code doesn't list data centers as a permitted use. We couldn't confirm from a borough record which body made that decision after the October 15, 2025 zoning hearing, and we haven't found any appeal, new application or state permit filing since then. On October 13, 2026 the borough council's agenda listed adoption of Ordinance #6 of 2026, a zoning amendment regarding data centers, and the borough posted minutes of a public hearing held that day. We couldn't open the minutes, so we don't know yet whether the ordinance passed or what it allows.
Decision body
West Hazleton Borough Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board, with Borough Council adopting any zoning changes.
Top issues
The site sits next to a residential zone, and residents and the planning commission raised humming noise, whether water cooling towers would be used, utilities and environmental impacts. The land already has water, power, sewer and gas service, according to FOX56, and the borough's zoning code doesn't list data centers as an allowed use.
Key opponents
No organized opposition group has been reported. Residents at the September 2025 planning commission hearing asked about noise, cooling towers, utilities and environmental effects on the homes next to the site.
Key supporters
The landowner, One Trinity Real Estate Investments, and its engineers at RJD Engineering, who were marketing the site to data center developers. We found no public official speaking in favor.

How we got here

The site behind the Valmont Shopping Plaza was previously approved for a 600,000-square-foot warehouse. On September 23, 2025, RJD Engineering presented plans to market it for a possible data center, and the West Hazleton Planning Commission voted 3-0 not to make a recommendation because too many questions remained. A borough zoning hearing was scheduled for October 15, 2025, and Data Center Dynamics reported on October 22, 2025 that the request had been denied because data centers aren't a listed use in the borough's code. No further action has been reported.

Update, October 26, 2026. On October 13, 2026 the West Hazleton Borough Council's agenda listed adoption of Ordinance #6 of 2026, amending the borough zoning ordinance regarding data centers, and the borough posted minutes of a public hearing held the same day. We couldn't read the minutes to confirm the outcome.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Noise and vibration

Medium

The site borders a residential zone, and residents at the planning commission hearing asked about wall construction and humming noise. The commission cited noise, utilities and environmental impacts when it declined to recommend the plan.

FOX56

Water

Low

Residents asked whether water cooling towers would be used, and the project engineer said they didn't have those answers yet because the effort was at step one.

FOX56
Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2025-09-23RJD Engineering presents plans to market the land for a possible data center, and the planning commission votes 3-0 not to make a recommendation. FOX56
  • 2025-10-15A borough zoning hearing on the proposal is scheduled; the sources we reviewed don't report what happened there. FOX56
  • 2025-10-22Data Center Dynamics reports the request was denied because the borough's zoning code doesn't list data centers as a permitted use. Data Center Dynamics
  • 2026-10-12DEP launches its public data center permit tracker, which lists the West Hazleton site as proposed with no permit applications received. FOX56
  • 2026-10-13The council's agenda lists adoption of Ordinance #6 of 2026, which amends the borough zoning ordinance regarding data centers, and the borough later posts minutes of a public hearing held the same day. Borough of West Hazleton
Legal record

Filings and legal actions

  • Zoning request West Hazleton Borough · n/a

    Request to allow a data center on a light industrial parcel behind the Valmont Shopping Plaza; denied because data centers aren't a listed permitted use in the borough's zoning code.

    One Trinity Real Estate Investments · Denied (reported October 22, 2025)
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 →