Starpointe data center hearings potentially nearing end
The Hanover Township Board of Supervisors is nearing a decision on Prime Data Centers' conditional-use application for a proposed 350-megawatt data center campus and natural gas power plant at Starpointe Business Park. Two final hearings are scheduled after months of testimony, while residents and environmental advocates continue to challenge the project and the review process.
Hanover Township supervisors have scheduled hearings for Nov. 10 and 11 to review Prime Data Centers' proposed 350-megawatt campus at Starpointe Business Park and give residents a final opportunity to cross-examine the developer's witnesses before a conditional-use vote. The project would include seven data center buildings and an attached natural gas power plant on about 120 acres, potentially becoming Washington County's first major data center.
Prime project lead Kate Nolan Bryden said the development would create hundreds of construction and permanent jobs and comply with environmental regulations and Pennsylvania's GRID standards. Residents, represented by attorneys and joined by the Center for Coalfield Justice, have raised environmental and procedural objections, including whether the township's supervisors can supersede the planning commission. Opposition intensified after Prime paid for Hanover officials to tour one of its Chicago-area facilities, which Bryden described as an educational visit. The board's ultimate decision remains pending, and additional hearings may be scheduled.