Pennsylvania officials vote for land deal widely opposed by Limerick residents

A split Pennsylvania Game Commission has voted in favor of a developer’s land swap widely opposed by Limerick Township residents who fear it could pave the way for a large data center.

The commission voted 6-3 on Saturday in favor of a contract with developer Limerick Town Center LLC that would yield the state 559 new acres across three counties. The swap would include what would become Delaware County’s first state game land.

As part of the land trade, Limerick Town Center LLC would get 55 acres of state Game Land 234 in Limerick, Montgomery County. The land is adjacent to an industrial site the developer already owns and that’s currently proposed for warehousing.

Limerick Town Center LLC has not said what it plans for the new land. A representative of the company could not be reached for comment.

In return, however, Limerick Town Center LLC would give the state 60 acres in Limerick it owns immediately to the south of the existing game land, next to the Schuylkill.

Steve Hacker, who lives near Game Land 234 and opposes the swap, called it “a great deal for other townships who will gain all that land … but it comes with a pretty heavy price.”

Commissioners made their decision after listening to the public, who were also split over the deal.

In general, residents who live in or near Limerick mostly opposed the swap, saying it would destroy a game land teeming with wildlife and a popular spot for hunting.

Many are wary of what Limerick Town Center LLC wants to do with the 55 acres it would gain, fearing it’s part of a broader plan for a large data center. Although the developer has not proposed building a data center, the idea has been widely circulated on social media, including in posts by State Sen. Katie Muth. Data centers are used to handle the massive amounts of computing needed for artificial intelligence.

The land they’ll be getting in return, residents said, is in a flood plain and has been clear-cut. In addition, those opposing the contract believes it sets a precedent of letting developers use leverage to get what they want.

Limerick officials sent a letter to the commission last week in opposition to the swap.

But hunters who live outside of Montgomery County, as well as some commissioners, spoke in favor of the deal. They said it would provide the state hundreds of acres of new hunting grounds at no cost.

As part of the deal, Limerick Town Center LLC will give 377 acres in Bern Township, Berks County, to the state. And the company would give the state 177 acres in Edgmont Township in what would become the first state game land in Delaware County.

Stanley Knick, president of the Game Commission, who is from Northeastern Pennsylvania, voted against the contract, as did Commissioner Robert Schwalm of Bethlehem.

Commissioner Todd Pride, of Cochranville, Chester County, voted in favor of the contract. Pride said there is, “a lot of information being passed around that was not correct.”

He said Limerick Town Center LLC’s current proposal was “clearly going to have an impact on our existing game lands if we do nothing.”

Now, he said, the commission, “would be swapping 55 acres to get 60″ acres in Limerick while “protecting that area along the Schuylkill.”

“So we’re not losing,” Pride said.

He estimated the overall gain of acreage to the state at $20 million.

However, Fred Ebert, owner of Ebert Engineering in Montgomery County, speaking as a member of the public, said the current location of state Game Land 234 “is simply irreplaceable.”

He said the new land the state would get in Limerick is surrounded by a railroad and consists mainly of wetlands. The only access, he said, is existing farmland.

State Game Land 234, he said, was entrusted by the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital before it shut down.

“This exchange places a target on all in all game lands for development,” Ebert said. “It provides developers with a game plan and a path to seek out desirable land.”

One East Vincent Township, Chester County, woman who did not identify herself, told the commission she lives across the Schuylkill from the Limerick swap site.

She said so many residents have come forward with stories about how they walk the game land with their children, “showing them what wildlife is still around.”

“If this heavy industry gets to switch out this property, that’s not going to be there for them any longer,” she said.

But Steve Tricarico, a member of the Bern Township planning commission, sees the 377 acres of conserved space his municipality is gaining as a win given the development pressure in Berks County.

“This land would offer new opportunities for outdoor activities and public enjoyment,” Tricarico said.