Sugarloaf Twp PA data center curative amendment case
Sugarloaf Township, PA — Data Center Curative Amendment Litigation (Luzerne County C.P.): Sugarloaf Logistics Continues Challenge After LBT Withdraws (2025-2026)
Sugarloaf Township, PA · LBT Investment Group / Sugarloaf Industrial and Logistics Holding v. Sugarloaf Township Supervisors (Luzerne Co. C.P., curative amendment appeal)
- Status
- Blocked / in litigation
- Applies to
- Sugarloaf Township Board of Supervisors (defendant)
- Enforced by
- Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas
A court case in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania is testing whether Sugarloaf Township's zoning ordinance unlawfully excludes data centers. Developer LBT Investment Group sued after township supervisors rejected its proposed 'curative amendment' in June 2025 to allow a six-building data center campus. LBT has withdrawn, but another company, Sugarloaf Logistics, which has a deal to buy the land, can continue the case after a September 2026 ruling. On September 28, 2026, supervisors tabled a resolution that would have declared the ordinance invalid regarding data centers and started their own township-wide fix, after residents worried it could hurt the township's position. A trial is reported for April 2027.
Who is protected: Sugarloaf Township residents (township defending its zoning)
Legal detail
Court: Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, Judge Lesa S. Gelb (case caption/number not reported). Origin: LBT Investment Group LLC (Chicago) curative amendment to permit data centers (six data centers on 185 acres along Tomhicken Road, ~1.5 mi west of PA Route 93), rejected by supervisors in June 2025; the court case (LBT v. township supervisors) has run since June 2025. LBT withdrew in September 2026. Sugarloaf Industrial and Logistics Holding, L.P. ('Sugarloaf Logistics') and landowner Richard E. Angelo Family Limited Partnership petitioned to intervene/substitute; arguments heard Sept. 24, 2026; ruling (reported Sept. 30): petition moot as to Sugarloaf Logistics (already a plaintiff under procedural rules), denied as to the Angelo partnership (adequately represented). Merits (validity of the zoning ordinance/curative amendment) undecided. Township response: Sept. 28, 2026 special meeting — supervisors (Pecora and Larock moving) tabled a resolution declaring the zoning ordinance 'substantially invalid' regarding data centers and initiating a municipal curative amendment (which would open a 180-day window barring landowner curative amendments). A resident said the 180-day period would end just before a trial on the case starts in April (Standard-Speaker; year not stated).
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Sugarloaf Township, PA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Citation | LBT Investment Group / Sugarloaf Industrial and Logistics Holding v. Sugarloaf Township Supervisors (Luzerne Co. C.P., curative amendment appeal) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not applicable |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Judge rules Sugarloaf Logistics can advance data center litigation — Citizens' Voice (Sept. 30, 2026) |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction. Every entry must carry a verifiable source.