Neighbors ask judge to halt PAX-1 data center work in Cumberland County
Neighbors are in a legal battle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, asking a judge to halt development of the $15 billion PAX-1 data center project. They argue that the zoning overlay for the 694-acre site, which is near residential and agricultural land, was illegally placed. Construction for the project has already begun, and a judge has not yet made a decision on the request to pause development.
A legal challenge against the massive PAX-1 data center project in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, reached a courtroom on Friday, as area residents are asking a judge to halt construction. The $15 billion development has already begun construction and recently secured a key approval from township supervisors for one of its three planned data center campuses.
Neighbors, including Middlesex Township resident Andrew Dymski, contend that a zoning overlay applied to the 694-acre development site was unlawfully enacted. Dymski highlighted that the proposed industrial use is inappropriately located on a residential site intended for housing, situated near Country Manor West, The Meadows, other homes, and agricultural land.
Attorneys representing the neighbors are seeking a court order to pause the development while they pursue various legal challenges, including one specifically targeting the zoning overlay approved last year. Attorney Nathan Wolf argued that subsequent actions by the township should not have occurred, given the pending substantive validity challenge before the zoning hearing board. Attorneys for the developers maintained in court that all legal requirements were met during the approval process, but they did not comment to reporters. The judge has not yet set a timeline for a decision.