NorthPoint Wants to Build New Data Center in Pennsylvania

Posed January 28, 2025

Kansas City-based developer NorthPoint Development plans to build a new data center campus in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Last week, the Luzerne County Council examined a presentation from NorthPoint detailing a new 15-data center campus that would be constructed in three phases. The campus has been dubbed Project Hazelnut.

NorthPoint estimates the campus would generate over $13.47 million in taxes for Luzerne County over the next 20 years if completed. Hazelnut would be located on the west side of Interstate 81 near Humboldt Industrial Park and could see completion between late 2026 and 2029, The Citizen’s Voice reported on Jan. 22.

The first phase of the project would see the construction of 5 buildings for the campus by the fourth quarter of 2026, phase two would construct 3 additional buildings by the first quarter of 2028 and the final 7 building would be finished as part of phase three in the second quarter of 2029.

For its first seven years, Project Hazelnut will receive a 100% tax abatement then decrease to 90% for the eighth year, 80% for the ninth year and will end its 10-year term with a 70% abatement on the tenth year.

The total estimated cost of the project was not provided during the presentation to the Luzerne County Council. The project would create about 900 construction jobs and upon completion, it would create another 900 permanent jobs.