A Pennsylvania developer is offering an unusually large financial incentive to win support for a proposed artificial intelligence data centre campus, but many residents say the money is not worth the potential cost to their community. NorthPoint Development has proposed Project Hazelnut, a data centre campus covering roughly 1,300 acres in Hazle Township, in the Pocono foothills. As part of a broader community-benefits package, the company says about 4,500 eligible households would each receive $10,000 if the project is approved and reaches the required stage. That would put the direct household fund at about $45 million. Despite the offer, residents have raised concerns about noise, light pollution, property values, energy demand, water use and the long-term impact of the development. The proposal has become a focal point in the wider debate over how communities should balance economic incentives with the local effects of large data centre projects.
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