East Whiteland officials allow work to resume on data center planned for Superfund site
Township officials had directed the developers to stop construction earlier this month over ongoing review of soil and health safety plans.
Work has resumed on a 1.5 million-square-foot data center in East Whiteland after developers were told to stop early construction this month while the township reviewed its soil and health safety plans.
Township officials issued a permit that includes “many conditions related to soil monitoring and reporting, dust control, and protection of the remedy for the Superfund site,” they said in a statement Wednesday.
Development began again on Wednesday, said Lou Colagreco, an attorney representing the developers, Green Fig LLC and Sentinel Data Centers.
Earlier this month, township officials told the developer to stop work “until greater clarity is provided with respect to the ongoing review” of the soil and health and safety plans. The stoppage came amid increased scrutiny from residents, who have fears about the impact of the data center being built upon the former Cyprus Foote Mineral Co., which contaminated the land with chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, and hexavalent chromium.
On Wednesday, the township said in a statement posted online that it had issued a permit regarding erosion and sedimentation control.
“The Township and its inspectors will also be maintaining a regular presence at the site to oversee implementation of the permit conditions,” the township’s statement said.
The permit allows for “earth-moving activities.” The developers will still need to secure construction permits for things like pouring concrete for footings, or foundations. But they can move dirt and dig via these permits, East Whiteland Township Manager Steve Brown said.
But there’s still an open question of the scope of the project. After months of seeking to change the proposal earlier this year — an effort that sparked renewed and resounding community opposition — the developers had said they would move ahead with previously approved plans which would be composed of two buildings roughly 772,000 square feet each and use 3 million gallons of water daily to cool it.
The developers came back before the township this month, intending to change the design again, saying the revised proposal would use less water. It could also possibly scale down the overall footprint of the data center, from 1.5 million square feet to a total of 536,000 square feet.
The township’s three elected officials ultimately tabled the matter at their July 8 meeting, saying they needed more information. The board’s next scheduled meeting is Aug. 19.
“The only issue before the Supervisors is whether the data center will use air chilled coolers to conserve water or whether water chilled units will be utilized,” Colagreco said in an email. “In either event, Sentinel is proceeding with development.”
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