Pennsylvania Residents Offered $10,000 Each for Data Center Project

In Pennsylvania, residents were offered $10,000 each for the construction of a data centre

The developer, NorthPoint Development, has offered to pay $10,000 to every household in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, if the large data centre project receives the necessary planning permission.

AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File

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Around 4,500 families are eligible for payments, and the total amount of direct grants will be $45 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

$165 million for residents in exchange for a large data centre

According to The Wall Street Journal, letters setting out the proposal began arriving for residents of the village in June. NorthPoint Development plans to build a complex comprising 15 data centre buildings on a site covering around 1,300 acres.

The company is offering to give each family $10,000 with no strict restrictions on how the funds are used. Under the terms of the project, the money is to be paid out once the first data centre building becomes operational.

On the project’s website, NorthPoint states that the expected timing of the first payment is following receipt of the certificate of commissioning for the first facility, tentatively at the end of 2027, provided the project is approved.

Thus, this is not a one-off payment from the municipal budget, but a direct financial commitment by the developer itself to local households. At the same time, NorthPoint has announced a broader package of public benefits worth $165 million.

In addition to $45 million in direct payments to residents, this includes $15 million to support educational, vocational, cultural and youth programmes, and a further $105 million over 15 years – $7 million per year – for the municipality’s needs.

However, the proposal has not allayed the opposition of some residents. According to the WSJ, some residents of Hazle Township are opposed to the construction of the data centre, despite the proposed payment.

The project remains a subject of controversy

Project Hazelnut involves the construction of 15 data centres on a site of approximately 1,300 acres. NorthPoint had previously been refused planning permission by the municipality and appealed against this decision. In June 2026, the Hazle Township authorities also imposed a six-month moratorium on the consideration of new applications for data centre construction in order to review the zoning regulations.

The situation in Hazle Township reflects a wider conflict surrounding the rapid expansion of data centres in the US. Growing demand for computing power, including from artificial intelligence projects, is driving the construction of large-scale facilities in small communities.

For developers, access to electricity, infrastructure and land are key factors, whilst local residents assess the impact on public services, the environment and quality of life.

In the case of Hazle Township, NorthPoint is seeking to offset potential costs to the community not only through direct payments to families, but also through long-term investment in municipal infrastructure and social programmes.

The history of the project shows that, for large data centres, the issue is no longer just the cost of land and electricity. Developers have to factor in the cost of public support – and incorporate it into the project’s economic model.

This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.

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