U. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. – If you passed the Upper Macungie Township municipal building Wednesday night, you couldn’t miss the crowd.

Neighbors packed the room to fight a massive 2.6-million-square-foot data center proposal, and many say they walked away with a big win.

Upper Macungie zoners reject appeal for massive data center campus on former Air Products site

Waking up Thursday felt very different for people living less than 10 minutes from that site. 69 News spoke with a local dad who told us that while Wednesday night’s unanimous rejection brought relief, neighbors are already looking ahead to what the legal challenge might look like next.

If you stand in David Caruth’s backyard, everything feels like a typical, quiet Upper Macungie neighborhood.

But if you look just past the tree line, around 1,300 yards away…

“Is the old Air Products site where that data center is going to be built or proposed to be built,” Caruth said.

For him, Wednesday night’s vote was everything.

“Pure excitement. So, it’s great to get the community energized, getting out there, the show of force,” Caruth said. “It’s amazing to see, and I hope this can spread and be an example for other communication communities across not just Lehigh County, but across the country.”

Neighbors say they are deeply worried about what the daily reality could be like living next to the 194-acre site.

“It can affect the environment,” Caruth said. “We see with electricity rates and water usage and who knows what the long-term effects of these are decades down the road.”

For David, the stakes are personal. His 8-year-old daughter is autistic. He’s spent months worrying that continuous sounds and vibrations would ruin her safe space at home. He has submitted legal objections to the township to protect her.

“I’m here now fighting for her, for her future, to ensure she had the best quality of life,” Caruth added.

Even though the zoning board blocked the proposed project Wednesday night, the board’s solicitor reminded everyone that Air Products still has options.

“The parties have their appropriate appeal rights. A written decision we’ll issue within 45 days. Parties have 30 days to appeal from that,” Upper Macungie Zoning Board Solicitor Steve Strack said.

If Air Products appeals, Caruth says the community is ready to keep fighting.

“I’m going to follow this the whole way through the county. And I’m going to be an activist and be involved with this because I care not only obviously for my daughter and others like her, but for the community at large,” Caruth said.

69 News has reached out to Air Products for comment but has not yet heard back.