A Louis DeNaples-affiliated company and warehouse developer withdrew their application Tuesday afternoon for a zoning amendment in Throop that would have allowed warehouses across 700-plus acres of conservation land.
Attorneys for Theta Land Corp. and Core5 Industrial Partners LLC sent Throop a letter rescinding their May 22 petition for a zoning change to make warehouses principal permitted uses in Throop’s environmental and conservation district, according to a copy of the letter posted on the borough’s Facebook page. Throop Borough Council was supposed to hold a public hearing and subsequent special meeting to listen to testimony and consider the request at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, but that hearing is now canceled, said Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer Andy Hegedus.
Hegedus said he received the letter around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. The letter did not give a reason for the withdrawal, and Hegedus said they gave no indication of future plans.
Attorney Jeff Belardi signed the letter on behalf of Theta, and attorney Christopher Caputo signed on behalf of Core5.
“As a result of this withdrawal, there will be no need for this evening’s public hearing,” the attorneys wrote. “We will not be making an appearance.”
The zoning change sought by Theta and Core5 would have permitted warehouse and distribution facilities in one of Throop’s most restrictive zoning districts, including 735 acres owned by Theta Land Corp. east of the Casey Highway and opposite the Keystone Sanitary Landfill. Landfill co-owner Louis DeNaples most recently signed an easement agreement in August 2025 as the president of Theta, according to Lackawanna County Recorder of Deeds filings.
Elsewhere in Lackawanna County, Atlanta, Georgia-based Core5 plans to build two warehouses in Scott Twp. off Route 107 near Interstate 81 — one warehouse just over 1.2 million square feet and another just shy of 700,000 square feet. The project has faced opposition from Scott Twp. residents, and on Monday, news of the proposal in Throop prompted significant backlash on social media, with residents calling for a large turnout at Tuesday’s now-canceled meeting.