Staff Reports
NorthPoint Development has started mailing an unusual offer to families near Hazle Township: $10,000 checks for each eligible household if the company can get approval and open the first building of its huge data center campus, dubbed Project Hazelnut. The site would cover roughly 1,280–1,300 acres and could include as many as 15 data center buildings. The cash offer is the latest move in a fight over data center siting, local control, and how much money can buy public consent.
NorthPoint’s $10,000 checks — money with strings
The offer targets about 4,500 households, which means roughly a $45 million direct payment fund on paper. NorthPoint says the checks are tied to approvals and to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the first building. The company calls the plan part of a “resident‑first” community benefits package and has described a much larger multi‑million‑dollar package for township services. With median household income in Hazle Township near $60,000, this one‑time payment is meaningful to many families. Still, words like “resident‑first” look a lot different when they come with a checkbook attached.
Why people in Hazle Township aren’t jumping for joy
Local leaders already denied the project once and put a temporary moratorium on new data center applications while zoning is fixed. A Luzerne County judge also pushed the case back into the township’s zoning process. Residents are split. Some see the cash and do the math. Others worry about noise, strain on water and power, and the hit to property values. One retired teacher said $10,000 won’t make up for what he expects the data center will do to his home’s worth. This is not just about money; it’s about who decides the future of a community.
Legal, ethical and political red flags
There are real questions here: are conditional cash offers the same as buying a town’s silence? Is the payment tied to a legal release or other strings most people won’t notice until it’s too late? Journalists and local officials should insist on seeing the actual mailed letter and any draft community benefits agreement. The moratorium and the local curative‑amendment process were the right move. If NorthPoint wants trust, it should put its promises into enforceable, transparent contracts — not just envelopes that arrive in the mail.
Bottom line: checks don’t replace common sense
This case is part of a bigger pattern. Opposition to big data center projects is growing across the country, and developers are trying new tactics to get buy‑in. For conservatives who believe in local control, this is a simple test: let communities decide, fairly and openly. If a project truly benefits Hazle Township, prove it with enforceable commitments and a clean process. If the answer is “we’ll pay you to look the other way,” that should make everyone—left, right, and center—pause before signing.
