A large data center campus is being proposed in Pennsylvania.
As reported by the Citizen’s Voice, Northpoint Development is set to present plans for Project Hazelnut to Luzerne County Council’s infrastructure committee this week.
According to council documents, Northpoint is planning a 1,283-acre, 15-building campus in Hazle Township’s 3,000-acre Humboldt North Industrial Park.
Developed over three phases, work on the first five buildings would start in Q4 2026. Work on the next three would begin in Q1 2028, and development of the final seven would start in Q2 2029.
Further details weren’t shared.
The first mention of Project Hazelnut surfaced last year after Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order to speed permitting processes in PA. Executive Order 2024-04, launching the Pennsylvania (PA) Permit Fast Track Program to streamline the Commonwealth’s permitting process for critical economic development and infrastructure projects.
At the time, Project Hazelnut was described as a “transformative technology campus in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Mary Malone, president & CEO of Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, said at the time: “Hazelnut will bring not only tech jobs but also more teachers in our classrooms, healthcare providers at Lehigh Valley Hospital Hazleton, and new small businesses like salons and barbershops. Thank you to Governor Shapiro, the Office of Transformation and Opportunity, and NorthPoint for choosing our area."
Dr. Anthony Grigoli, chairman of the Township Supervisors Board for Hazle Township, added: “Hazle Township is open for business, and we are grateful to have partners at the state who are working with us and businesses like Northpoint.”
NorthPoint Development is a Kansas City-based commercial real estate operating company focused on residential and industrial developments. The company has plans to develop an extensive data center business, saying it has 37 powered land sites across 17 states, totaling more than 15,600 acres and 4.8GW of potential capacity.
Luzerne County is not historically a major data center market, but is home to a nuclear-powered facility that is set to be expanded to a campus. Last year saw Amazon acquire Talen Energy’s data center located next to the Susquehanna nuclear power station.
The company has since filed to develop a 15-building campus on the site – though the grid connection arrangement between Amazon and Talen has been met with legal challenges from other utilities in the region.