Residents give notice of intent to sue East Whiteland and developer over 1.5 million square foot data center project
East Whiteland residents have notified the township and developers Green Fig and Sentinel Data Centers that they may sue over a previously approved 1.5 million-square-foot data center. The residents allege ordinance, permitting, water-supply, and environmental-review violations, while preliminary construction has already begun and received two stop-work orders.
Residents of East Whiteland, represented by attorney Philip S. Rosenzweig, sent an eight-page notice of intent to sue the township and developers Green Fig and Sentinel Data Centers over a planned 1.5 million-square-foot data center on the former Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. property. The project spans a 79-acre Superfund site near the border of East and West Whiteland Townships and received township approvals in 2018 and 2024.
The residents’ letter alleges that the approval process violated township ordinances and planning requirements, that Aqua America could not meet the facility’s water needs, and that the project’s environmental assessment was incomplete or fraudulent. An earlier land-use appeal was rejected by a Chester County judge, but opposition has continued. Developers abandoned proposed plan changes after community protests and are proceeding with the previously approved design; preliminary work has begun, although township officials have issued two stop-work orders over permitting concerns.