No project in Butler Township, but 16 nearby
Who decides here: the Township Supervisors (in some larger townships, the Board of Commissioners) of Butler Township votes on zoning. The Luzerne County Planning Commission usually reviews big projects too.
Nearby (within 15 miles)
Brewster Land Company data center challenge (Dorrance Township)
Dorrance Township, Luzerne County
155 acres
🕒 Sept 18, 2026: The Times-Tribune listed the Brewster site (6 buildings, 155 acres) as in a zoning dispu…
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Stopped or cancelledabout 5 miles awayWest Hazleton data center site (behind Valmont Shopping Plaza)
West Hazleton, Luzerne County
🕒 Dec 2025: Reported as withdrawn.
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Proposedabout 6 miles awayHollenback Township landowner rezoning for data centers
Hollenback Township, Luzerne County
460 acres
🕒 Sept 18, 2026: The Times-Tribune listed the Hollenback request (11 data centers on 460 acres) with the …
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Proposedabout 6 miles awayProject Hazelnut (NorthPoint, Hazle Township)
Hazle Township, Luzerne County
1,280 acres · for Amazon Web Services (reported)
🕒 Sept 2026: NorthPoint sent letters to about 4,500 households about the $10,000 offer. Many resident…
Status unclearabout 7 miles awaySugarloaf Township data center (Tomhicken Road)
Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County
185 acres
🕒 Sept 18, 2026: The Times-Tribune listed the LBT Sugarloaf project (6 buildings, 185 acres) as seeking a…
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Proposedabout 9 miles awayNorthPoint data center on Tresckow Mountain (Banks and Packer townships)
Banks Township, Carbon County
1,200 acres
🕒 Sept 30, 2025: NorthPoint met the public in Tresckow. About 150 people came; many said they do not want…
Local votes and rules
🗺️ Zoning change · Luzerne County
Luzerne County is writing data center rules for the 19 towns that use county zoning. Every data center would need a special exception from the county zoning hearing board. The planning commission recommended it in May 2026 and meets Oct. 8 to review new changes from the county law office. County Council must still vote.
📜 Data center rules
Butler Township in Luzerne County drafted a 35-page data center ordinance. Data centers would only be allowed in industrial zones with zoning board approval. The draft sets strict limits on noise, height, and distance from neighborhoods.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Butler Township supervisors in Luzerne County canceled a hearing and passed a resolution saying the township's zoning is flawed because it does not cover data centers. For 180 days the township will not accept data center applications while it writes new rules.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Butler Township. - Go to township meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
PPL Electric Utilities Corp. (company).
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Pennsylvania.