Overview
- In June, NorthPoint Development mailed letters promising $10,000 to each of about 4,500 eligible Hazle Township households, a roughly $45 million direct‑payment pool tied to approval of Project Hazelnut.
- Many residents have rejected the offer because they fear the data center would lower home values, bring prolonged construction noise and light, and increase local pollution risks.
- Project Hazelnut would place up to 15 data‑center buildings on roughly 1,300 acres in the Pocono foothills, with parts of the site sited about 750 to 1,500 feet from nearby homes.
- Hazle Township supervisors previously denied the project on zoning grounds and put a temporary moratorium in place, NorthPoint has sued that decision, and Pennsylvania’s governor has signed an order limiting nondisclosure agreements between towns and developers.
- The dispute reflects a wider national backlash to hyperscale data centers over power, water and land use concerns and could slow siting of AI infrastructure while prompting new industry lobbying and local regulation efforts.