The legal fight over “Project Gold” — the proposed 1,000-acre data center campus straddling Clifton and Covington townships along Interstate 380 — has entered a new phase, and the families leading the opposition are asking the community to help fund it.
For those catching up, here is a recap: Judge Mark Powell of the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas vacated the settlement agreement between Clifton Township and developer 1778 Rich Pike LLC. His January 30 order came after the Clifton Township Zoning Hearing Board petitioned the court, pointing out it was never a party to the settlement — a deal that would have overridden the board’s unanimous November 19 ruling that the township’s zoning does not unlawfully exclude data centers.
“A municipality cannot settle disputes that fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the local zoning hearing board,” Powell wrote, citing prior case law. “If that were so, municipalities could supplant every decision of a zoning board by stipulation.”
Covington Township also petitioned to intervene, arguing the settlement’s terms — which barred power stations, water wells, and sewage treatment from being built on Clifton’s side — effectively dumped that infrastructure burden onto Covington’s half of the site, threatening aquifer depletion and private wells.
The settlement is dead, but the fight is far from over. Powell allowed the developer’s supplemental land use appeal, filed January 27, to move forward. That appeal asks the court to reverse the Zoning Hearing Board’s decision and grant 1778 Rich Pike site-specific relief to build the campus.
Where Things Stand
Nearly a year of litigation has produced this landscape:
The Doylestown-based developer filed its original substantive validity challenge in April 2025, claiming Clifton’s zoning unlawfully excluded data centers. The township adopted a data center ordinance a month later. Four packed zoning hearings followed at the Gouldsboro Volunteer Fire Company, running from July through November. The Zoning Hearing Board sided with the township. The developer appealed. A settlement was rejected, then approved, and has now been thrown out by the court.
The developer’s appeal of the Zoning Hearing Board decision remains active in Lackawanna County Court, along with a separate procedural challenge alleging Sunshine Act violations in how the township adopted its ordinance.
The Community’s Call to Action
Against this backdrop, the Barton family — whose 772-acre property, protected by a conservation easement held by the Pocono Heritage Land Trust, borders the proposed data center area in both Clifton and Covington townships — has issued a public appeal that has been circulating widely on Facebook:
LEGAL FIGHT: CLIFTON/COVINGTON DATA CENTER (“PROJECT GOLD”)
If you’ve asked how you can contribute to legal expenses to fight Project Gold, I wanted to share an important way we can all take action right now.
If you oppose the 1000-acre data center proposed for Covington and Clifton Townships – a site that includes EV-rated streams and that would require massive deforestation of a pristine ecosystem – we need to support the Pocono Heritage Land Trust (PHLT).
They are currently leading the fight to protect the 772-acre Barton Land, utilizing PennFuture as their legal team.
This isn’t just about the Barton property – PHLT’s efforts benefit the entire North Pocono community.
Fighting to keep the data center out of Clifton, or at the very least drastically reducing the overall size of the project, protects us all. There will also be a direct impact right here in Covington.
Here is how you can help:
Please consider making a contribution to support their ongoing legal fight here: www.phlt.org/donate
Important: Be sure to write “legal fund” in the memo/notes section.
Please note that this is the only community legal fund in North Pocono supporting opposition of Project Gold.
Let’s stand together to protect our community – we only get one shot!
— Pamela Barton Robinson, Walter Barton, Thatcher Barton, Concerned Clifton Citizens
The Pocono Heritage Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) conservation organization founded in 1984, holds the conservation easement on the Barton land. PennFuture, the statewide environmental advocacy organization, is serving as PHLT’s legal team, according to the family’s appeal.
Note: The legal fund designation is per the Barton family’s appeal; we have not independently confirmed details with PHLT.
Donations can be made at phlt.org/donate — write “legal fund” in the comment/notes field.
The Pocono Review will continue to follow this story as the developer’s appeal moves through Lackawanna County Court.