Controversial data center in rural Washington County community at center of public hearing
A proposed data center project in Hanover Township, Washington County, PA, was the subject of a public hearing where concerned citizens raised objections regarding the application's completeness and the board's jurisdiction over a proposed gas power plant for the site. The board of supervisors will determine the validity of these objections. The project, if approved, would be a massive eight-building campus developed by Prime Data Centers.
A public hearing was held Wednesday night in Hanover Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, concerning a controversial proposed data center at the Starpointe Business Park. The standing-room-only event, held at the Hanover Volunteer Fire Department, addressed the conditional use permit required for the large-scale data center campus.
During the hearing, lawyers representing concerned citizens raised objections to the completeness of the application and questioned the board of supervisors' jurisdiction to hear an application for a proposed gas power plant intended to supply electricity to the site. Dennis Makel, the township's solicitor, indicated that the board would need to assess the validity of these jurisdictional claims before proceeding.
Developer Alex Paris, who owns the 126-acre former strip mine site, has a sales agreement with Texas-based Prime Data Centers to build and operate an eight-building data center campus. Paris previously stated the project would create thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of permanent jobs, and generate $10 million to $15 million in yearly local tax revenue. While the project reportedly meets zoning requirements and complies with a recently passed data center ordinance, it still requires final approval from township leaders.
Local residents have voiced significant pushback against the development, citing concerns over noise, pollution, and other quality of life issues. They also claim the project has advanced with a lack of transparency. The board of supervisors is scheduled to convene next on August 31.