Elizabeth Township commissioners, residents respond to data center report
Elizabeth Township commissioners scheduled an Oct. 13 town hall after records revealed discussions about a proposed 1-gigawatt data center campus and natural gas plant at a former landfill. Residents criticized officials for not disclosing the discussions sooner and called for a temporary pause or ordinance before any project advances.
Hendricks Group Developers, LLC is exploring a 1-gigawatt data center campus and natural gas plant on a 549-acre former U.S. Steel landfill site along Henderson Road in Elizabeth Township. The proposal could include 11 to 28 buildings and generate an estimated $125 million in tax revenue, but no building permit or formal development application has been filed.
Commissioners said the proposal is in its early stages and that only limited discussions had occurred before a public meeting was scheduled for Oct. 13 at Elizabeth Forward Middle School. Residents, including Kellianne Frketic and Sandy Hearn, questioned the township’s transparency and urged officials to reject applications or establish a temporary data center pause and local ordinance. Concerns include noise, environmental impacts, water use, electricity demand and possible utility rate increases. State Rep. Andrew Kuzma said he would attend the meeting and cited a new state law allowing municipalities to pause data center applications while updating zoning rules.