Pennsylvania Glacial Till data center overlay (Tobyhanna Township)
Tobyhanna Township created a data center overlay district along Caughbaugh Road that would benefit Pennsylvania Glacial Till LLC. Neighbors say it is illegal spot zoning and are challenging it.
Where things stand: Residents challenged the township's data center overlay ordinance (No. 5-80) before the Zoning Hearing Board in April 2026.
🕒 Latest update (April 16, 2026): Zoning Hearing Board continued a hearing on residents' challenge that the overlay is illegal spot zoning.
Tobyhanna Township Board of Supervisors. We don't know yet if Pennsylvania Glacial Till data center overlay (Tobyhanna Township) is on the agenda. Call the office to check before you go.
What we know
- 📍 WhereCaughbaugh Road off Route 115, next to the Lehigh River, Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County
- 🏢 CompanyPennsylvania Glacial Till LLC
- 🌳 Size520 acres
- ❄️ CoolingClosed-loop water system required by the overlay (no public water there)
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- What did the Zoning Hearing Board decide? 🙋 I'll find out
- Who is the data center developer and end user? 🙋 I'll find out
- How many buildings and megawatts are planned on the 520-acre Glacial Till site? 🙋 I'll find out
🔎 What we checked
- Oct 6, 2026: We checked the Delaware River Basin Commission's (DRBC) list of pending applications (August 2026): there is no application for this data center. DRBC said in November 2025 it had not received any data center applications. A data center needs its own DRBC approval only if it takes more than 100,000 gallons a day from its own wells or streams, or discharges more than 50,000 gallons a day (lower limits in some protected areas). Buying water from a water company does not need a separate DRBC approval.
What happened so far
- Dec 15, 2025Supervisors approved a data center overlay for the 520-acre Pennsylvania Glacial Till property on Caughbaugh Road, next to the Lehigh River. It is zoned rural residential, has active mining, wetlands and conservation land around it. Rules include a closed-loop water system, a 70-decibel noise limit with sound studies before and after building, a minimum lot size and large setbacks.
- April 16, 2026Zoning Hearing Board continued a hearing on residents' challenge that the overlay is illegal spot zoning.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
Residents and the Stoddartsville Association challenged Ordinance 580 before the Tobyhanna Township Zoning Hearing Board. They say it is illegal spot zoning that helps a single landowner and goes against the purpose of the rural residential district. Hearings ran from March to at least June 22, 2026.
🗺️ Zoning change
Tobyhanna Township passed Ordinance 580, which creates a data center overlay district and allows data centers there. The overlay covers about 520 acres of rural residential land tied to one developer, Pennsylvania Glacial Till LLC.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- Tobyhanna Twp. public hearing draws crowd as residents challenge zoning ordinance · FOX56 · April 17, 2026
- Tobyhanna Township approves second data center zoning overlay · FOX56 WOLF · Dec 16, 2025
- Board of Supervisors 2026 (meeting schedule) · Tobyhanna Township · Oct 6, 2026
- Public Notice (Zoning Hearing Board, June 22, 2026) · Tobyhanna Township · June 2026
- Tobyhanna Draft Data Center Overlay map (prepared by Monroe County Planning Commission) · Tobyhanna Township / Monroe County Planning Commission · Oct 24, 2025
- Frequently Asked Questions: Data Centers · Delaware River Basin Commission · Nov 24, 2025
- DRBC Project Review: Pending Project Status (August 2026) · Delaware River Basin Commission · Aug 2026
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