Fast Track no more: Pa. kicks Archbald data center campus off permit program

The Pennsylvania Office of Transformation and Opportunity (OTO), under Governor Josh Shapiro's administration, has terminated Archbald 25 Developer LLC's Project Gravity data center campus from the state's PA Permit Fast Track Program. The decision, communicated on Monday, cited the developer's "lack of responsiveness and unwillingness to provide a transparent overview of the project." Project Gravity, a proposed seven-building data center campus with an estimated $5 billion investment, is planned for 186 acres in Archbald, Pennsylvania. The Fast Track program, established in 2024, aims to streamline permitting for large-scale projects but does not bypass municipal approvals or lessen requirements. The OTO had initially accepted Project Gravity into the program on September 22 but required a proposed permitting schedule for a Coordinated Project Plan, which was not provided. The developer, Archbald 25 Developer LLC, is New York City-based and linked to Western Hospitality Partners, a company involved in multiple data center proposals nationwide. The land for the project was purchased from Five Up Realty. Although the project received principal permission under Archbald's 2023 zoning laws, it still requires final land development approval from the borough. Local opposition groups, such as "Stop Archbald Data Center," had previously questioned the project's inclusion in the Fast Track program.