LOCAL PROJECTS & PROPOSALS

Tracking What’s Happening
in Our Communities

From data-center proposals to transmission upgrades, here are the key projects and developments shaping the future of the Poconos.

3 Documented data-center proposals 2 Major transmission projects 2 Watchlist / rumor sites 4 Local policy updates

Last reviewed:

How we categorize projects

Confirmed Proposal

A proposal appears in public filings or official records. This does not mean approved or under construction.

Related Infrastructure

Transmission or utility infrastructure relevant to regional growth. Not itself a data center.

Watchlist

Documented land or developer history makes a site worth watching. No data-center application identified.

Community Rumor

A claim is circulating locally, but no documentary evidence in the reviewed material confirms it.

Legal Challenge

An ordinance or approval enabling a proposal is being formally contested. This is not a court finding.

Showing all 7 projects and sites

Scale illustration · not a project rendering
Confirmed Proposal

Smithfield Gateway Data Center

Smithfield Township, Monroe County

One proposed two-story building with 500,000 sq. ft. of total floor area and a ground footprint of 250,000 sq. ft. Conditional use is not construction approval.

sq. ft. · two floors
500,000
proposed load
250 MW
on-site jobs estimated
~60
Conditional-use hearing

September 9, 2026 · 6 PM. J.T. Lambert Intermediate School. September 23 reserved for continuation if needed.

Check source
Details & what we know

Conditional use pending

Developer
DEPG Mosier Associates LP / DEPG of Shawnee II LP
Site / building
One two-story building; 250,000-sq.-ft. footprint, plus substation and equipment yard.
Power demand
250 MW proposed by the applicant.
Water demand
Final demand not established. Applicant proposes closed-loop and/or air-cooled systems.
Permanent jobs
Applicant estimates ~60 on-site jobs, about 20 per shift.
Approval stage
Conditional-use review. Land-development approval would still be required before construction.

What we know

The August revision replaces the earlier two-building concept. Applicant figures describe the proposal, not guaranteed operating outcomes.

What remains unknown

Final engineering, water consumption and construction approval remain unresolved.

Power demand · Water supply · Noise · Land use

Sources

Sources reviewed

Scale illustration · not a project rendering
Confirmed Proposal Legal Challenge

Pennsylvania Glacial Till Data Center

Caughbaugh Road, Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County

WVIA reports an eight-building campus on roughly 100 acres within a larger ~520-acre overlay district. Residents are challenging the zoning ordinance.

campus acres reported
~100
buildings reported
8
overlay acres
~520
Zoning challenge

A formal validity challenge is documented. The opposition group lists September 18 at 5 PM; confirm the next hearing with the township.

Details & what we know

Overlay adopted; challenge filed

Developer / owner
Pennsylvania Glacial Till LLC
Site / building
Eight buildings on ~100 acres, per WVIA. The township notice identifies three parcels totaling about 520 acres.
Power demand
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Water demand
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Permanent jobs
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Approval stage
Ordinance 580 overlay adopted; substantive validity challenge filed. Final land-development approval not established.

What we know

The township notice documents residents’ allegations of unlawful spot zoning. Those allegations are contested claims, not a legal finding.

What remains unknown

Final design, utility demand and an official disposition of the challenge have not been established in the reviewed records.

Private wells · Forest and wetlands · Rural zoning

Sources

Sources reviewed

Scale illustration · not a project rendering
Confirmed Proposal

Pocono Manor Data Center

Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County

DRBC identifies a proposed hyperscale campus on approximately 193 acres, with multi-story buildings. Dedicated transmission planning is underway.

campus acres
~193
buildings proposed
Multi-story
power demand
Unknown
Related infrastructure

PPL identifies a data-center customer for its planned 5.9-mile transmission line.

See related project
Details & what we know

Proposal documented; utility planning

Developer
Pocono Manor Investors
Site / building
~193-acre campus with multi-story buildings, as identified by DRBC.
Power demand
Not publicly disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Water demand
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Permanent jobs
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Approval stage
Zoning action reported; final design and construction approval not established.

What we know

The campus appears in DRBC’s proposed-project inventory. PPL explicitly identifies the new transmission customer as a data center.

What remains unknown

Final building design, power and water requirements, permanent staffing and construction approval.

Land use · Utility infrastructure · Water demand

Sources

Sources reviewed

Regional landscape · not site photography
Related Infrastructure

Shawnee–Walker 69-kV Project

Middle Smithfield, Lehman, Delaware and Dingman Townships · Monroe & Pike Counties

Approximately 30 miles of transmission infrastructure. FirstEnergy cites reliability and existing and future load growth; this is not a data-center proposal.

transmission corridor
~30 miles
line voltage
69 kV
Monroe and Pike
2 counties
Public comment deadline

September 7, 2026: Bushkill Falls–Birchwood Lakes stormwater permit comments, as reported by Pike County Courier.

Check source
Details & what we know

Transmission permitting / development

Utility
Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT), a FirstEnergy subsidiary
Route
Shawnee to Walker; the regional system includes Bushkill Falls and Birchwood Lakes substations.
Power demand
Not applicable: this entry tracks a transmission line, not a customer load.
Water demand
Not applicable to data-center cooling; construction and stormwater impacts are separately reviewed.
Permanent jobs
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Approval stage
Transmission development and segment-specific permitting.

What we know

FirstEnergy describes a capacity and reliability project. No evidence in the reviewed official project description establishes a data-center-specific purpose.

What remains unknown

How added capacity could affect future development is not a confirmed customer commitment.

Transmission corridor · Wetlands · Stormwater

Sources

Sources reviewed

Regional landscape · not site photography
Related Infrastructure

Pocono Manor 138-kV Project

Tobyhanna, Pocono and Jackson Townships · Monroe County

PPL plans approximately 5.9 miles of new transmission line plus substation and switchyard infrastructure. The utility explicitly identifies a data-center customer.

new transmission line
~5.9 miles
line voltage
138 kV
new right-of-way
~100 ft
Tentative construction

April 2029–March 2030. Pennsylvania PUC approval is required.

See related project
Details & what we know

Data-center connection confirmed

Utility
PPL Electric Utilities
Route / footprint
Potential routes cross three Monroe County townships. New corridor right-of-way is approximately 100 feet wide.
Power demand
Customer demand not publicly stated; 138 kV describes line voltage, not demand.
Water demand
Not applicable to the transmission entry.
Permanent jobs
Not established in the sources reviewed.
Approval stage
Utility planning; PUC approval required. Construction timing is tentative.

What we know

Unlike Shawnee–Walker, PPL explicitly describes a data-center connection. The line and campus are separate entries, not two data-center proposals.

What remains unknown

Final approvals and construction dates may change.

New corridor · Landowner easements · Grid connection

Sources

Sources reviewed

Regional landscape · not site photography
Watchlist

Dingman Towne Center Property

Route 739 & Log Tavern Road · Dingman Township, Pike County

A historical DEPG project summary describes a roughly 280-acre assemblage for retail, medical and residential uses. A data-center plan has not been established.

acres in historical record
~280
identified for a data center
No filing
Watching future filings

Historical land and developer connections do not establish a data-center proposal.

Details & what we know

No data-center application identified

Developer connection
DEPG development interests, as described in the 2018 TIF document.
Site / building
~280 acres assembled in 2014, according to the historical developer summary.
Power demand
No data-center proposal identified; demand unknown.
Water demand
No data-center proposal identified; demand unknown.
Permanent jobs
No data-center proposal identified; staffing unknown.
Approval stage
Watchlist only. Historical mixed-use development is not data-center approval.

What we know

The historical record supports a mixed-use development history and DEPG connection. It does not verify current ownership of every parcel or a data-center plan.

What remains unknown

No public data-center application, named operator or confirmed development plan was identified in the sources provided and reviewed.

Future filings · Land use · Developer connections

Sources

Sources reviewed

Regional landscape · not site photography
Community Rumor

Eagle Village / Former Tamiment Area

Lehman Township, Pike County

A community rumor suggests Eagle Village or nearby former resort property could be considered for data-center redevelopment. No confirming public application or announcement has been identified in the reviewed material.

community report
Unverified
identified in reviewed material
No filing
Evidence needed

A township ordinance is not evidence of a project at this site.

Details & what we know

Unverified

Developer / operator
Not established for a data-center proposal.
Site / building
No confirmed data-center site boundary or building plan.
Power demand
Not publicly disclosed; no confirmed proposal.
Water demand
Not publicly disclosed; no confirmed proposal.
Permanent jobs
Not publicly disclosed; no confirmed proposal.
Approval stage
Community rumor only.

What we know

Lehman adopted Ordinance 155 to regulate data centers. That is township-wide policy context, not confirmation of an Eagle Village project.

What remains unknown

No documentary evidence in the reviewed material confirms a formal proposal at Eagle Village or the former Tamiment area.

Public records · Land-use policy · Unverified claim

Sources

Sources reviewed

TWO LINES. DIFFERENT CONTEXT.

Infrastructure is part of the story.
Its purpose matters.

Shawnee–Walker

FirstEnergy describes a reliability and load-growth project. A data-center-specific purpose is not established in the reviewed record.

FirstEnergy’s explanation ↗

Pocono Manor

PPL explicitly identifies a data center as the new customer. That connection is documented, not inferred.

PPL’s explanation ↗

LOCAL RULES & DECISIONS

Policy shapes what can happen next.

Zoning rules provide context. They are not additional data-center projects or permission to start construction.

Lehman Township

Ordinance 155

Adopted November 20, 2025. Township-wide data-center regulations; not evidence of an Eagle Village proposal.

Official minutes ↗

Smithfield Township

Data Center Curative Amendment

Adopted August 12, 2026. Data-center uses are now limited to conditional use in the new H-1 Heavy Industrial district.

Official township record ↗

Tobyhanna Township

Ordinance 580 overlay

The Pennsylvania Glacial Till overlay is subject to a documented validity challenge. The challenge concerns zoning, not a finding that construction is approved.

Official challenge notice ↗

KEEP THE RECORD CLEAR

Know something we don’t?

A public filing, meeting notice or other credible source can help fill a gap. A link and a little context are more useful than another rumor.

SHARE A TIP

Official records first. Reporting for context. Community claims clearly labeled.