Unknown timeline for Luzerne County Council vote on data center zoning amendment

Luzerne County’s new Community Planning and Economic Development Division Head Ted Ritsick said Thursday he is reviewing a proposed data center zoning amendment before it goes to County Council for consideration.

The county planning commission voted last month to recommend the amendment to the council after four revisions and several public comment sessions, with officials anticipating it would be contemplated by the council in June.

Ritsick started work as division head at the end of May, after the planning commission had voted to recommend the amendment.

He said he wants time to test the proposed amendment for consistency and to ensure every detail is checked.

Ritsick said he also wants to give staff another opportunity to make sure nothing is overlooked.

The amendment is “all-encompassing” and not a minor change, he said, noting it could be subject to legal challenges from data center developers down the road.

“It is standard to run a series of tests before it goes to the governing body for final approval,” Ritsick said. “Checking again is good practice.”

If Ritsick and his staff believe any revisions are warranted, the suggested alterations would be fully explained and presented to the planning commission at a public meeting, he said.

If approved by council, the amendment would take effect in 19 municipalities that rely on county zoning instead of handling it on their own: the boroughs of Avoca, Courtdale, Dupont, Duryea, Hughestown, Jeddo, Laflin, New Columbus, Pringle, Warrior Run, West Wyoming, and Yatesville, and the townships of Conyngham, Fairmount, Hunlock, Huntington, Lake, Ross, and Union.

County Council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino said Thursday he has “the utmost faith in division head Ritsick” and “wants to make sure we get this right.”

Once an amendment is adopted, Sabatino said he will urge the administration to approach all municipalities that are not covered by county zoning to consider passing something similar “so we can create a countywide data center standard.”

“If Mr. Ritsick needs a little extra time to make sure it’s the best it can be, I’m happy to give it to him,” Sabatino said.

The proposed amendment covers an exhaustive set of conditions that must be met and mandates more extensive special exception approval from the county zoning hearing board for all data center requests.

When a recommendation is presented to the council, it would require an introduction vote and then a subsequent public hearing and majority council approval. Council would have the ability to alter the proposal recommended by the commission.

The full amendment document, with the most recent changes underlined in red, is posted in the commission’s May meeting docket under the county meeting agenda section at luzernecounty.org.

County GIS, Planning, and Zoning Director Dan Reese introduced Ritsick during Thursday’s commission meeting at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Ritsick told the commission he was attending to “observe and see what’s going on.”

He noted he has an extensive background in community planning and economic development, including seven years working as a planner for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Most recently, Ritsick said he has worked as a consultant on zoning rewrites and other planning and community development initiatives. He has a master’s degree in community and economic development from Penn State University.

“This is something I’ve been doing for quite a while, and I’m excited to share what I know,” Ritsick told the commission.

The commission discussed some potential alterations to the county Subdivision & Land Development Ordinance, known as SALDO, on Thursday, but no decisions were made.