Bad weather delays Pennhurst data center hearing

A highly anticipated conditional use hearing for a substantial 1.9-million-square-foot data center proposal at the former Pennhurst state hospital site in East Vincent, Pennsylvania, has been postponed until April 20 due to severe weather. The delay came shortly after Pennhurst Holdings LLC, the project developer, submitted significantly revised plans, increasing the proposed data center's footprint and including an on-site power generation source. Langan Engineering submitted these changes on behalf of Pennhurst Holdings LLC, prompting concern from activists who argue that the late submission, coming just days before the original hearing, should trigger a restart of the entire conditional use review process under the township's zoning ordinance. Kevin A. Feeley, president of Bellevue Communications, which represents the developer, disputed this, stating that the township had been aware of impending changes for a month and that the revisions align with Governor Shapiro's recent GRID guidelines for data center development. The East Vincent Township Planning Commission previously reviewed the initial plans in October 2025 and voted unanimously against recommending the project to the Board of Supervisors, citing concerns about the plans' quality and the developers' absence from that meeting. The upcoming April 20 hearing by the East Vincent Township Board of Supervisors, acting in a quasi-judicial capacity, will address the revised proposal, with the Township Planning Commission set to review the new submission at its April 9 meeting.