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NorthPoint Development says it will offer $10,000 to each eligible Hazle Township household if the first building at its proposed Project Hazelnut data-center campus receives a certificate of occupancy. The money has not been paid, and the offer does not mean residents have agreed to the project. Meanwhile, residents are challenging a separate PPL Electric Utilities transmission-line proposal they say could require property takings. Amazon has been reported in discussions with NorthPoint, but Fortune reported on October 4, 2026, that there was no definitive agreement.
What is Project Hazelnut?
Project Hazelnut is a proposed data-center campus by NorthPoint Development in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. NorthPoint describes a 15-building project. That is the developer’s proposal, not a statement that the campus has been approved or built.
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The dispute involves several separate decisions: local zoning and land-development review, state environmental permits, and proceedings over a proposed electric transmission line. Progress or a decision in one process does not automatically settle the others.
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| Date | What was reported or recorded | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| November 2024 | Fortune reported that Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Project Hazelnut as the first test of an executive order intended to fast-track permitting for AI infrastructure. | An announcement and policy context, not final local or environmental approval. |
| 2025 | A Hazle Township planning agenda recorded the major land-development plan and related submissions. | A dated planning record, not proof of final approval. |
| February 12, 2026 | Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced a public meeting and hearing for February 17 on water-obstruction/encroachment and stormwater-discharge permit applications associated with the proposed project. | A public review process, not a permit decision. |
| May 2026 | Fortune reported that a Luzerne County judge denied an appeal relating to the project, citing missing required zoning approval and inadequate opportunity for public input in the initial process. Fortune said NorthPoint retained options to pursue approval. | The reported ruling did not itself resolve whether the project could later obtain approval. The sources available for this article do not establish the status of any subsequent appeal. |
| August 18, 2026 | Pennsylvania announced Executive Order 2026-05, changing statewide permitting requirements for data centers. | A statewide framework, not a decision on Project Hazelnut’s local application. |
| October 4, 2026 | Fortune reported that the campus and related transmission line remained contested, and that Amazon was in discussions with NorthPoint without a definitive agreement. | The Amazon connection remained unresolved as of Fortune’s report. |
What the $10,000 household offer actually means
NorthPoint’s project website describes a $10,000 grant for each eligible Hazle Township household, payable after the first data-center building receives a certificate of occupancy. It is a conditional future offer—not money residents have already received. The condition also means the grant depends on the project advancing far enough for that building to receive the certificate.
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In a May 19, 2026, press release, NorthPoint described a $165 million community-benefit initiative. That figure is the developer’s announced value for its initiative; it is not an independent valuation of benefits delivered. Fortune also reported proposed public and community benefits, but the available reporting establishes neither a binding community-wide agreement nor residents’ acceptance of the offer.
The distinction matters: a household grant can be relevant to the local debate without settling objections about approval, public participation, infrastructure, or environmental effects. It should not be treated as proof that the community has consented.
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Why residents are concerned about eminent domain
The eminent-domain concern described by Fortune is tied to a proposed 11.2-mile high-voltage line by PPL Electric Utilities, not to a claim that NorthPoint itself has taken residents’ land. Fortune reported that 28 properties faced eminent-domain threats connected to the line. Affected residents formed the Alliance to Stop the Line and filed about 20 formal protests with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC).
Fortune reported that administrative law judges temporarily halted proceedings while the data-center development remained contested. The current PUC docket status and later procedural developments are not established by the sources available here. A temporary halt is not the same as a permanent cancellation, and the reporting does not establish that property has been taken.
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What residents have said about access to information
Fortune quoted Hazle Township resident Erika Cook saying, “We really had no idea what was happening.” She also said, “We’ve been trying to get information, and unfortunately, the only way we’ve been able to get it is by right-to-know requests.” Fortune quoted her describing residents as “mini Erin Brokoviches actually getting somewhere.” Those are Cook’s reported comments about the residents’ efforts; they do not by themselves establish the legal status of the project or line.
Amazon’s role is reported, not confirmed
Fortune reported that public-records requests surfaced records involving Amazon and Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. Amazon told Fortune it was evaluating sites in Pennsylvania and was in discussions with NorthPoint, but that it had no definitive agreement in place. Project Hazelnut’s public branding does not name Amazon. As of the October 4, 2026, report, describing the proposal as a confirmed Amazon data center or saying Amazon had committed to occupy it would go beyond what was established.
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What the developer says about water—and what remains unresolved
NorthPoint says cooling water would come from treated effluent, would be used seasonally, and would not affect the residential potable-water supply. Those are the developer’s claims, not independently confirmed findings or guarantees. The DEP’s February 2026 notice concerned water-obstruction/encroachment and stormwater-discharge permit applications; a hearing notice does not show that the applications were approved or establish the project’s ultimate effects.
These water-permit questions are distinct from township zoning and land-development review. The 2025 township planning agenda records submissions, while the DEP notice records a state environmental review process. Neither record, on its own, answers every question about the project’s impacts or authorizes the other process.
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How Pennsylvania’s 2026 order changes the permitting context
Executive Order 2026-05, announced August 18, 2026, removed data-center projects from the state permit fast-track program and established GRID requirements. Pennsylvania said DEP is to evaluate data-center permit applications only after developers make legally binding commitments to those requirements and receive required local approval. The order also prohibits nondisclosure agreements for data-center projects.
The order changes the statewide framework; it does not decide whether Hazle Township should approve Project Hazelnut, resolve the reported court dispute, or determine the outcome of the PPL line proceedings. As of Fortune’s October 4 report, the campus and related line remained contested.
Quick Recap
What is known—and what is not
- Known from NorthPoint: the proposed 15-building campus, the conditional $10,000-per-eligible-household grant, and the developer’s descriptions of its proposed water arrangements.
- Recorded by public agencies: township planning submissions, a DEP public hearing process for specified permit applications, and Pennsylvania’s statewide Executive Order 2026-05.
- Reported by Fortune: the May 2026 court ruling, residents’ line-related protests and reported eminent-domain threats, and discussions between Amazon and NorthPoint without a definitive agreement as of October 4, 2026.
- Not established here: whether the project has since secured required local approval, the current status of any later appeal or PUC proceedings, whether Amazon will become a tenant, and the final environmental effects or permit outcomes.
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