South Whitehall schedules special September session at Parkland High School for hyperscale data center proposal
South Whitehall Township's Planning Commission will hold a special session on September 23 to continue reviewing Edged Data Centers' hyperscale data center proposal, Project Atlas. The company has scaled back its plans, proposing three facilities covering 1.5 million square feet with a closed-loop water cooling system and pledging to cover electricity upgrades. Despite these changes, residents remain largely unswayed, expressing continued opposition to the project.
The South Whitehall Township Planning Commission has scheduled a special meeting for September 23 at Parkland High School to continue its review of Project Atlas, a hyperscale data center proposal by Edged Data Centers. This special session comes after the project was notably absent from the commission's August 13 agenda, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of the development. The commission faces a deadline to make a decision on the proposal by the end of October.
Edged Data Centers, through executives like project director John Dolan and Edged US chief investment officer John Callahan, presented a scaled-back plan on July 9. The revised proposal calls for three facilities totaling 1.5 million square feet, a significant reduction from the initial six facilities spanning over 5 million square feet. Key to the revised plan is a "closed-loop" cooling system, which Dolan claims would save 2.8 billion gallons of water annually by not using the township's municipal system. Callahan also pledged that South Whitehall residents would incur no electricity costs, as Edged US would fund all necessary infrastructure upgrades.
Despite the concessions, the July 9 meeting saw hundreds of residents pack Springhouse Middle School, with many expressing continued skepticism and opposition. Dozens of residents who had signed up to speak were unable to voice their concerns before the meeting concluded at 10 p.m. Commission chair David Wilson assured residents of more opportunities to weigh in, with the September meeting being a critical upcoming chance for public input.