Massive data center developer is offering $10K to residents in this small Pennsylvania community. Locals are pushing back

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

A Pennsylvania developer is offering every eligible household in a small township $10,000 if a massive data center project moves forward – but many residents still aren’t sold.

NorthPoint Development wants to build a 1,300-acre data center campus in Hazle Township, near the Pocono foothills, with as many as 15 data center buildings and other infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The company outlined the offer in letters sent to residents in June, setting aside about $45 million for roughly 4,500 households. Residents could spend the money however they choose, but only if the project reaches the required stage. NorthPoint expects the first data center to receive its certificate of occupancy in late 2027, triggering the payments, according to the WSJ.

But the prospect of a $10,000 check has done little to quiet concerns in the township, which has about 10,460 residents. People living near the site have raised questions about construction, noise and potential impacts on property values.

Jeff Fasnacht, a retired teacher who lives nearby, told the WSJ the payment would not make up for the potential loss in his home’s value.

“$10,000 doesn’t match how much it’s going to tank my property value,” Fasnacht said.

Retired homeowner Ed Negra said the offer could backfire by encouraging residents to scrutinize the project's potential drawbacks.

“I think it works the opposite way, because most people have the opinion that, ‘Hey, are they trying to bribe us here?’” he said.

NorthPoint chief marketing officer Brent Miles said the payments were created after a public meeting last year, when residents pressed the company on what they would personally gain from the project.

“I think we’ve got something here that’s on the cutting edge, really in direct response to ‘what’s in it for me?’” Miles told the WSJ.

The company also plans to provide another $120 million over 15 years for community needs, including funding for the local police department, according to the WSJ.

Some residents said the money is worth considering. Charlie Leshko, a retired maintenance and janitorial worker who lives in a senior residence, said the payment could help him buy a car or put a down payment on a home.

“$10,000 don’t come along every day,” he said. “I always wanted to have my own house.”

Retired foundry worker Carl Majusiak initially considered the offer but ultimately decided it was not enough to justify the development.

“At first it seems like ‘well, OK, maybe I’ll think about it,” he said, before concluding, “we don’t need that around here.”

The Independent has contacted NorthPoint Development for comment.

The debate in Pennsylvania comes amid a nationwide backlash against data centers entering local communities. The facilities provide the computing power needed to run artificial intelligence but also require huge amounts of electricity, land and other resources.

Public anxiety over AI itself has also intensified. Earlier this month, former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon warned that people developing advanced AI systems “earnestly believe” the technology could kill all humans by the end of the decade. Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger has similarly warned that he believes there is a greater than 10 percent chance advanced AI could cause human extinction within the next decade.

The warnings come as President Donald Trump – a frequent AI user – continues to push for U.S. leadership in AI. Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson were meeting Tuesday with executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Nvidia to discuss AI, regulation and safety.