Speculation and Greed: Data Center Development

Pennsylvania is unique in its land use law. Why does land use matter? Land use in Pennsylvania matters because it directly controls how the state's resources, environment, and nearly 2,600 local municipalities develop and interact. To protect our communities, Pennsylvania governments must consider:

• Local Fragmentation: PA has over 2,500 municipalities (cities, boroughs, and townships) with independent zoning power, meaning decisions in one town directly affect traffic and water in neighboring areas.

• Loss of Farmland and Forests: Pennsylvania loses thousands of acres of productive agricultural land and forests to development, making targeted preservation vital for the state's economy, food supply, clean air, and drinkable water.

• Environmental Health: Proper rules must be in place to protect critical natural areas like wetlands and floodplains, manage stormwater, and prevent local groundwater pollution.

• Community Balance: The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) requires local governments to balance private property rights with public health, safety, and orderly community growth.

In Pennsylvania, each municipality must provide for every development purpose, even if it puts residents, their health, or water supply at risk. That's the situation in Lower Towamensing and Penn Forest Townships, where greedy developers are hoping to sell to Data Center developers. Most recently, the Township of Lower Towamensing has been hit with a data center proposal. The Palmerton Sand Quarry, aka Murphy’s Meadows, and DTA Alliance filed a Curative Amendment challenging the Lower Towamensing zoning because the zoning ordinance lacks a provision for a data center. It also proposes a data center overlay ordinance and a 700-acre data center that would include all Blue Shamrock Golf Course land. The site map shows 14 buildings totaling more than 4.5 million square feet and two gas or diesel generators that would run around the clock! The proposal, which is not a formal application, includes a site map. The site map shows the project border immediately adjacent to properties in Bowmanstown, and Edgemont and Princeton in West Palmerton. This challenge to the zoning ordinance is based on the State Municipal Planning Code that requires every municipality to provide zoning for every legal land use. At the time of the challenge, Lower Towamensing did not have zoning to accommodate data centers. Because of this law, the township cannot say “no” to a data center. To view the site map and read the legal filing, go to the Lower Towamensing Township webpage and click the heading “News” on the right-hand side. A public hearing on the Curative Amendment for the data center will be held at the Aquaschicola Fire Company on 270 Little Gap Road in Palmerton on Tuesday, October 27th, beginning at 7PM (please check the Lower Towamensing Township calendar on their webpage to confirm the date and time). Everyone opposed to this data center development must attend!