Upper Hanover data center plan withdrawn
Hanover Development LP withdrew its applications for a 150,000-square-foot data center in Upper Hanover after strong resident opposition. The township had recently adopted a data center zoning ordinance that would have created significant obstacles for the proposal.
Hanover Development LP principal Robert Downs withdrew applications for a proposed 150,000-square-foot data center on 37 acres off Gravel Pike in Upper Hanover, Montgomery County. Township Manager Anne W. Klepfer said Downs cited residents’ anger, concerns and fears, along with discussions following township meetings, as reasons for abandoning the plan.
The applications were submitted shortly before Upper Hanover’s new data center zoning ordinance was adopted, meaning the proposal may have avoided rules that would have created additional obstacles. Klepfer said the withdrawal ended the dispute, while noting that Downs could still seek to develop the property under existing light-industrial zoning or pursue residential rezoning. The township board had not voted on any rezoning request, and residents’ opposition was credited with influencing the outcome.