Traffic, water usage among concerns South Whitehall experts have about Project Atlas data center, documents show
Experts in South Whitehall Township have expressed concerns regarding CDE Acquisitions' proposed Project Atlas data center, citing issues such as potential traffic impacts and high water usage. Two township departments do not recommend the current proposal, and the project faces significant community opposition ahead of a public hearing and planning commission deadline.
South Whitehall Township officials have released a 160-page document detailing expert concerns about CDE Acquisitions' proposed Project Atlas data center, a 5 million-square-foot development across from Parkland High School. The township engineer and community development departments explicitly do not recommend the project in its current form.
Key issues highlighted by engineering firm The Pidcock Co. include significant traffic impacts during the four-year construction phase, which is expected to involve 400-500 employees daily. The township's land use economist, 4Ward Planning Inc., also questioned the project's $640 million price tag, which could affect property tax estimates. Additional concerns raised in the report include the daily water usage, generator placement, and fencing.
Township Manager Thomas Petrucci emphasized the township's legal obligation to review all properly submitted land development projects and committed to an objective, fact-based evaluation. The data center proposal has already generated considerable community pushback, including a Change.org petition and a fundraiser by the South Whitehall Civic Alliance.
The planning commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Thursday and must make a decision on the developer's request by July 30.