The story so far
written Sep 28What is happening
Hazle Township maintains a six-month moratorium on new data center applications, stalling a proposed 1,300-acre campus intended for Amazon Web Services [3][6]. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on June 8, 2026, to pause approvals while officials update zoning ordinances for industrial data center use [6]. This freeze follows a judicial ruling that rejected an appeal by NorthPoint Development after the township denied the initial land development plan [6].
What to watch
The municipal moratorium is scheduled to expire in December 2026 [6][10]. Future steps include a vote by the Hazle Township Board of Supervisors on the data center permit once zoning updates are complete. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection must also finish its environmental review following public hearings held earlier this year [8][12]. A final zoning recommendation from the planning commission and a signed construction contract between the developer and the township would settle the project's status.
Read the full brief · how we got here
How we got here
Hazle Township supervisors rejected the "Project Hazelnut" proposal in November 2025, citing public health concerns and the lack of a zoning special exception [4][7]. The plan involves 15 buildings on a site previously used for coal mining [3][9]. While state officials held hearings on environmental permits in February 2026, local residents and supervisors have pushed for greater municipal control over the scale of the development [11][12].
References · 9
- [3]fox56.com — Crowd of 100 gathers in Hazle Twp. as Supervisor Board votes down ...
- [4]standardspeaker.com — Hazle Twp. supervisors say residents deserve a say about data center
- [6]foodandwaterwatch.org — Hazle Township, PA Pauses Data Center Development for Six Months
- [7]foodandwaterwatch.org — Hazle Township, PA Unanimously Rejects Data Center Campus
- [8]fox56.com — DEP holds public hearing on Project Hazelnut as NorthPoint appeal remains in court
- [9]insideclimatenews.org — Echoes of the Past in Pennsylvania Coal Towns’ Fight Against Data Centers - Inside Climate News
- [10]timesleader.com — Opinion: Cash benefits from data centers are a good faith benefit to Hazle Township | Times Leader
- [11]standardspeaker.com — Speakers ask state officials to see big picture around Hazelnut data center
- [12]pa.gov — DEP to Host Public Meeting and Hearing for "Project Hazlenut" Data ...
What would close this
0 of 4 metTimeline
newest firstWhen we started following: Hazle Township data center moratorium enters final quarter as NorthPoint appeal fails
Hazle Township maintains a six-month moratorium on new data center applications following a unanimous Board of Supervisors vote on June 8, 2026 [6]. The pause allows officials to update zoning ordinances for industrial data center use after a judge rejected NorthPoint Development’s appeal of a prior land development denial [6]. The rejected "Project Hazelnut" proposal involves a 1,300-acre campus with 15 buildings intended for Amazon Web Services [3][6]. While the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held hearings on state-level permits earlier this year [8][12], local supervisors cited the lack of a zoning special exception and public health concerns in their November 2025 rejection [4]. The municipal pause is scheduled to expire in December 2026 [6][10].