Township authority over data center plans uncertain in Northampton County
Residents in Upper Mount Bethel Township, PA, are opposing a proposed data center campus from Slate Belt Holdings, which could include up to 2 GW capacity. Local officials are navigating zoning challenges and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the developer, with residents raising environmental, economic, and legal concerns. The township board voted to continue reviewing the MOU and challenge the developer's zoning validity lawsuit, indicating an ongoing legal and regulatory dispute over the project's feasibility.
Residents of Upper Mount Bethel Township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, are actively opposing a proposed data center development by Slate Belt Holdings LLC, a partnership between Talen Energy and River Pointe Logistics. The project, planned for the River Pointe Commerce Park, includes a 23-building data center campus with a conceptual 480 MW on-site substation and a potential buildout of up to 2 GW, enough energy to power roughly 1.5 million homes.
At an August 24 meeting, the Upper Mount Bethel Board of Supervisors discussed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the developer amidst public outcry from residents concerned about environmental, economic, and legal impacts. The board rejected a motion to abandon the MOU by a 3-2 vote, opting instead to continue negotiating revisions and strengthen the township's data center ordinance. Additionally, supervisors directed the township solicitor to challenge a zoning validity lawsuit filed by Slate Belt Holdings in July.
The core of the dispute revolves around the property's existing industrial zoning. Slate Belt Holdings argues the township's current zoning ordinance is invalid because it does not adequately address data centers. Township officials, including Board of Supervisor Chair John Bermingham, acknowledge the difficulty of outright preventing development on industrially zoned land but stress the importance of robust regulation. The Zoning Hearing Board is set to rule on the developer's validity challenge, a decision the Board of Supervisors can appeal. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's recent executive order and pending state legislation may not provide sufficient local protection, prompting Bermingham to highlight the need for state lawmakers to consider a data center moratorium or prohibition.