Residents interested in a proposed plan to build a massive data center across from Parkland High School are being encouraged to attend the July 9 meeting of the South Whitehall Township Planning Commission.
Anticipating a crowd at the 7 p.m. meeting, organizers have moved it from the township building to Springhouse Middle School, 1200 Springhouse Road, South Whitehall.
If built, Project Atlas would occupy about 410 acres of undeveloped land off North Cedar Crest Boulevard. The application includes three data center buildings totaling approximately 1.48 million square feet along with a 40,680-square-foot administration building and a 39,167-square-foot warehouse building, for a total of approximately 1.56 million square feet, according to the township.
The proposal includes associated road improvements, utility infrastructure, stormwater management facilities, parking areas and related site improvements.
The planning commission will review the application and provide comments and recommendations on the project. There will be no remote access to the meeting, so anyone wishing to comment must attend in person.
Township Manager Tom Petrucci noted that the Atlas Project plan will not be discussed at upcoming township board of commissioners meetings, including Wednesday night’s.
The Project Atlas data center proposal has drawn concerns from both residents and township experts over potential impacts it could have on students and the surrounding community. More than 8,000 have signed a petition opposing the project.