The fight over the proposed Project Atlas hyperscale data center in South Whitehall Township may spill over the border into a neighboring township this week.
The Whitehall Board of Commissioners will discuss a proposed resolution to “participate in, comment on, pursue party status in and object to the data center.” The township is also drafting its own data center ordinance. Both issues are on the agenda for Monday’s board meeting.
Noting that the South Whitehall data center project could affect traffic and living conditions in Whitehall, township officials said they needed to be part of the conversation. A chief concern is a new access road proposed between North Cedar Crest Boulevard and Mauch Chunk and Mechanicsville roads.
“Whitehall Township also has a substantial interest in ensuring that the data center project being developed just over the shared boundary with South Whitehall Township complies with all applicable laws,” the resolution reads.
By gaining party status to any litigation that may arise out of the Project Atlas data center fight, Whitehall would have the right to question experts, present testimony and formally object to the plan. It could change the township’s role from an observer to an active litigant.
The board will also consider an ordinance directing how a data center may operate in Whitehall Township. Under the proposed ordinance, developers would be required to submit studies on water use, noise levels and impact on the environment.
“No application shall be approved unless and until the water feasibility study demonstrates that the anticipated water supply yield is sufficient for the needs of the data center use, and that the proposed withdrawals and or discharges will not adversely affect or endanger the quantity or quality of water supplies in the vicinity of the data center,” the resolution reads.
Data centers would be restricted to specific industrial zones and would not be permitted on “prime agricultural soils” or “high value streams, wetlands, flood plains, steep slopes, or other environmentally sensitive areas.”
Any new data center would have to be set back 200 feet from the boundary of any residential zoning district, and all equipment used for cooling, ventilation, heating or power would have to be set back a minimum of 300 feet from any residential zoning district.
The resolution would also require developers to submit studies on the financial impact, as well as the financial benefit to the township. Applicants would have to show how much the township would pay for infrastructure and emergency services, and provide an estimate of how many jobs would be created.
No developer has submitted plans for a data center in Whitehall Township. The board meets at 7 p.m. Monday at the township municipal building.