Is NE Edge moving its focus away from Connecticut?
A large data center campus is being proposed in Northeast Pennsylvania.
As reported by the Times-Tribune and Fox56, a developer is potentially planning a 35-building campus across Clifton and Covington townships in Lackawanna County.
1778 Rich Pike LLC is aiming to develop a 1.5GW, 1,000-acre campus on either side of Interstate 380, just north of Clifton Beach Road. The project is known as the Gouldsboro Data Center in some documents.
Fox suggests 1778 Rich Pike is tied to NE Edge, a company with a history of attempting large-scale developments around Connecticut, but as yet has been unable to get any projects off the ground.
Each building would be approximately 125,000 square feet per floor, with a maximum of three floors for up to 379,500 sq ft (35,257 sqm) per building, with the campus totaling between 4.4 million sq ft (408,773 sqm) and up to 9.4 million sq ft (873,289 sqm). The campus could be fully built over the next decade. A gas power plant would also be built, as well as at least one on-site substation.
The total project could amount to an estimated $14.25 billion-plus investment, said attorney Tony Maras, representing the developer. Quantm Group, LLC is listed as a development partner.
An affiliate of Judge Family Estates LLC is one of the major landowners involved in the project.
Both Clifton and Covington townships are looking to amend their zoning laws to address data centers, though 1778 Rich Pike has challenged Clifton’s proposed ordinances, which could limit building heights and require additional permitting.
Covington Twp. supervisors will hold a zoning hearing to consider their data center zoning amendment on July 24, while Clifton Twp.’s zoning hearing board will hear 1778’s substantive challenge on July 29.
The Concerned Clifton Citizens Facebook page is looking to mobilize opposition to the project. A new website called NoDataCenter.net is also dedicated to opposing the development.
NE Edge was founded in December 2021 by Thomas Quinn, former CEO of Verde LLC and later joint owner of Gotspace Data Partners. The company has outlined large plans in the US, but is yet to see a project go live or seemingly even break ground.
The company has proposed data center developments across Connecticut, including Groton and Bozrah, but has so far been unsuccessful. In August 2023, the company successfully purchased land in Killingly, Connecticut.
In February 2023, NE Edge was seeking a Host Municipality Agreement in Waterford, Connecticut, to develop data centers powered directly by the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in New London County. That proposal would see NE Edge developing a 300MW campus spanning 1.5 million sq ft (139,355 sqm) across two two-story buildings.
