Pennsylvania’s Data Center Surge Faces Community Pushback and Regulatory Hurdles

Springdale’s Cheswick Power Plant Redevelopment Stalled

In Springdale, Allegheny County, plans to transform the former Cheswick coal power plant into a major data center campus have encountered significant delays. The Springdale planning commission has postponed its recommendation to the city council, citing the need for additional studies and community input. This decision follows a public meeting where numerous residents voiced opposition to the project, reflecting growing concerns about industrial redevelopment in residential areas.

Springdale’s Cheswick Power Plant Redevelopment Stalled
Multiple Projects Reshape Pennsylvania’s Industrial Landscape
Major Tech Investment Transforms State’s Economic Profile
Community Resistance and Zoning Challenges Emerge
Balancing Economic Development and Community Concerns

Allegheny DC Property Co., an affiliate of investment firm Davidson Kempner, proposes developing a 565,000 square foot, 180MW data center alongside a 200,000 square foot support facility on the 47-acre site. The former 565MW coal plant, retired in 2022, is currently undergoing demolition and environmental remediation by Charah Environmental Redevelopment Group, which acquired the property in 2022. The planning commission’s next meeting on October 27 could determine the project’s fate, though community opposition remains substantial with a Change.org petition gathering over 300 signatures against the development.

Multiple Projects Reshape Pennsylvania’s Industrial Landscape

Across Allegheny County, similar developments are emerging. In nearby Stowe Township, SunCap Industries is considering a data center development at the former Pressed Steel Car Company site. While specific details remain scarce, township commissioner Cheryl McDermott confirmed the company’s interest. The township board is scheduled to discuss the proposal further in November, following SunCap’s acquisition of the property in 2023 and recent $6 million state funding through the Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites program.

Major Tech Investment Transforms State’s Economic Profile

Pennsylvania is experiencing unprecedented data center growth, with DC Byte reporting the state’s total IT load exploding from 231MW in 2021 to a projected 7.8GW by 2025. This represents one of the most dramatic infrastructure transformations in recent state history, driven largely by demand for AI computing capacity.

Amazon’s recent activities underscore this trend. The tech giant’s $178 million purchase of 350 acres in Schuylkill County’s Kline Township signals major forthcoming development. While specific plans remain undisclosed, Amazon Data Services typically handles the company’s data center operations, and the company has announced intentions to invest $20 billion in Pennsylvania data center infrastructure.

Community Resistance and Zoning Challenges Emerge

The rapid expansion isn’t proceeding without friction. In Carbon County, NorthPoint Development‘s proposal for a 1,400-acre data center complex has sparked organized opposition. Groups including Save Carbon County and the Greenfire Coalition have mobilized against the project, with two separate petitions gathering approximately 900 combined signatures. A separate 750-acre proposal in Penn Forest Township faces similar resistance from local conservation groups.

Zoning complications have also arisen in West Hazleton, where One Trinity Real Estate Investments saw its rezoning request denied due to local codes not explicitly permitting data center use. Despite this setback, major development continues elsewhere in Luzerne County, where NorthPoint plans a 15-building campus in Hazle Township and Amazon expands its existing Salem Township facility near the Susquehanna nuclear power station into a similar-scale operation., as our earlier report

Balancing Economic Development and Community Concerns

The convergence of multiple major projects across Pennsylvania represents both an economic opportunity and a planning challenge. As municipal governments grapple with these large-scale proposals, they must balance the promise of job creation and tax revenue against legitimate concerns about infrastructure strain, environmental impact, and community character preservation., according to recent innovations

The outcomes of these ongoing deliberations in Springdale, Stowe Township, and other Pennsylvania communities will likely set important precedents for how the state manages its sudden emergence as a major data center hub while addressing the valid concerns of residents living near proposed development sites.

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