S. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – The South Whitehall Township Planning Commission reviewed a proposal for a major data center project Wednesday night at Parkland High School. 

Hundreds of people packed into the school’s auditorium for the meeting, but with no decision from the planning commission, the deadline for the proposal has now been pushed back two months.

The development, known as Project Atlas, calls for the construction of three data center buildings, one administration facility, and one warehouse building for a 1.5 million square feet total over 410 acres.

Data center firm Edged is offering the project over three parcels that sit directly across the street from Parkland High School. The parcels are located at 2493, 2747, and 2807 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., with additional right-of-way dedication along North Cedar Crest Boulevard, Mauch Chunk Road and Orefield Road.

The proximity to the high school has created backlash, as have concerns about noise and water usage.

At the meeting’s outset, Marc Kaplin, an attorney representing the applicant, informed the planning commission and audience that his client was not requesting project approval at Wednesday’s meeting. Kaplin said the company was engaging in a technical review of previous township comments on the proposal and would return with a revised plan at a future date.

Officials with Edged told planners they were reviewing all township comments regarding the plan and were working toward compliance with PIRT – Planned Innovation Research and Technology zoning district requirements.

The proposal

The previously submitted plan before the planning commission Wednesday night included site-associated improvements such as internal access roads, employee parking areas, perimeter security fencing, landscaped buffers, stormwater management facilities, and a multi-use path.

The existing site is primarily utilized for agricultural purposes, with an area that contains bunkers and magazines formerly used to store munitions, as well as three home sites.

Project Atlas consists of three data center principal structures — each about 492,000 square feet. It also includes a 40,680-square-foot accessory structure and an existing cell tower. 

Data center No. 1 will have 47 parking spaces to serve its operations, while data center No. 2 will have 50 parking spaces and No. 3 will provide 50 spaces. As for the administration building, the developer has allocated 142 parking spaces, while the warehouse building will have 27 parking spaces. 

Stormwater management for the campus consists of three wet detention ponds and one dry-extended detention basin. The three wet ponds will utilize spray irrigation equipment to manage the two-year, 24-hour storm and will contain aerator fountains to help prevent algae pond growth.

Initially, a new roadway was proposed running east to west through the site. This proposed roadway will extend from North Cedar Crest Boulevard to Mauch Chunk Road, with signalization proposed at the Mechanicsville Road and Mauch Chunk Road intersection. 

While Edged officials did not disclose many of the changes they would incorporate into their new proposal, they said they would address traffic concerns noted by planners at their July 9 meeting by implementing a traffic roundabout. 

Public water is proposed for the site, while a private septic system is being offered for sanitary wastewater. The plan also includes substantial building setbacks, berms, landscaping, and other screening measures along adjacent roadways and residential properties.

The property contains several historic resources, including a barn and two historic residences and farmsteads. Two of the historic structures are proposed for removal, while the barn is proposed to be restored and potentially dedicated to South Whitehall. 

Additional infrastructure will include an onsite electrical substation and emergency generators at the data centers. The onsite electrical substation will be shielded visually from North Cedar Crest Boulevard via a 12-foot-tall berm and plantings. The emergency generators will be surrounded by attenuation walls. These walls will minimize acoustic impacts on neighboring properties, according to the applicant. 

Edged presentation

Edged officials offered few details about their proposed resubmission.  Previously, they had attempted to convince planning commission members and the public in attendance that most of what they had heard about data centers was either partially or mostly inaccurate. They reiterated those comments Wednesday night but to a lesser extent. 

What they did note again Wednesday night is that the company has pledged to pay for all power and infrastructure upgrades needed for the campus. The company is set to invest more than $8.9 billion for the project, it said. This would result in a $99.5 million projected annual economic impact for South Whitehall Township, according to Edged officials. 

Further, Atlas said it would pay about $16.5 million annually in taxes. That money, they told planners and residents, could offset years of projected tax increases from the Parkland School District.

Company officials said the project was efficient and would enhance digital growth while conserving significant water amounts annually. They said the facility is designed with a closed-loop system to cool their technology, like a car radiator.

The project would require 48 months of construction.

The response

Following the company’s Wednesday night presentation, planning commission members offered questions. Those questions addressed such topics as fuel usage to power backup generators and how the company would perform and monitor safety procedures.

The rest of the night was consumed by public comment. Speakers discussed the project specifically and data centers conceptually. They expressed concerns about power consumption, noise complaints, water usage and a generalized anxiety about what artificial intelligence is doing to their lives. Similar to a chorus line, person after person expressed their distaste for the project and the physical infrastructure of the AI boom in general.

“Look around you,” said a local resident. “These are your neighbors — the parents of children like my daughters who will go to school right here.”

Most of the speakers expressed skepticism about the company’s promises. Specifically, more than one individual speculated they would experience noise beyond the project’s property lines. One person compared the project to that of biological warfare, which would be inflicted on the population.

Other speakers stated there was too much risk associated with building a data center and that South Whitehall could not afford to take this risk. One individual referred to the project as “scary” and said it would ruin life as people know it. 

A sentiment shared by many at the podium was that they do not trust the developers.

“Last time I came here, you made fun of us — everybody here in the audience — and so trust has now been broken,” expressed another resident.

Back in July, after a planning commission meeting, photos of text messages disparaging residents’ appearance and intelligence circulated on social media.

They were sent by the now-former senior development manager for Scannell Properties, the company behind Project Atlas.

Wednesday night’s meeting also accomplished a rare feat: Pennsylvania Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-16) and his opponent, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, both spoke and agreed the proposed data center was bad for South Whitehall Township. 

Wednesday’s meeting ended with the commission taking the proposal under advisement.

Following the meeting, the deadline for a decision from officials has been pushed from Oct. 31 to Dec. 31.

The planning commission has not yet scheduled any further meetings to discuss Project Atlas plans moving forward. South Whitehall Township says the next meeting will be publicized as soon as it is scheduled.