The proposed data center in Clinton Township, near Forest City in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, is moving through the local approval process after township officials accepted a revised application from the developer.
The decision starts a 90-day review period for the township to determine whether the project can move forward. The deadline for that review is September 28.
The project is also unfolding amid changes in township leadership. Supervisor Mark Klapotovsky resigned following public criticism surrounding the project, and the township appointed former supervisor Ken Coles as his interim replacement.
River Reporter editor Liam Mayo said the first major step came in early July, when the Clinton Township Planning Commission voted to accept the developer’s resubmitted plans.
“That part of the process starts a clock for the township to review and sort of accept or reject the project as a whole from further ongoing forward,” Mayo said.
The acceptance does not mean the project has been approved. Instead, it means the Planning Commission determined the developer had provided enough information for the formal review process to continue.
Mayo said the Planning Commission had previously found the application incomplete, but after additional submissions from Linde Corporation, the company seeking to develop the project, officials determined the application could move ahead.
“They had said the month before that they didn’t have enough information,” Mayo said. “Then there were a couple of resubmissions, and then at the start of July they did say, okay, now we can review this project.”
Mayo said Linde Corporation argued that some of the issues raised by the township involved details that would be addressed later in the process or by other state agencies.
The company’s attorney argued that requiring additional information at this stage could violate Pennsylvania’s subdivision and land development regulations and the state’s municipal planning code.
Mayo said township officials ultimately agreed that the application met the requirements to be considered complete.
The developer has submitted more than 100 checklist items, detailed plans and two binders of completed studies, according to Mayo.
He said township officials also raised concerns about the possibility of legal challenges if they rejected the application based on what were described as technical issues.
“The township attorney warned residents that if they tried to deem the application incomplete based on quote-unquote technical violations, the township is going to get sued,” Mayo said.
Township Leadership Change
The project is also moving ahead after the resignation of Supervisor Mark Klapotovsky.
Mayo said the resignation followed a contentious July 16 township meeting where residents questioned aspects of the project, including the township’s decision to hire Kylie Engineering to review the proposal.
Residents raised concerns because Klapotovsky’s son is involved with the firm. Klapotovsky has said he did not believe there was a conflict of interest, and the township solicitor also determined there was no conflict.
Mayo said the issue nevertheless fueled public frustration.
“The reason for the resignation was, in essence, the heated public sentiment around it,” Mayo said.
Klapotovsky said the intensity of public comments and what he described as name-calling contributed to his decision to step down.
The township then appointed Ken Coles, who previously served as a township supervisor, as his replacement.
Mayo said it is unclear whether the leadership change will affect the project’s future, but residents have raised the possibility of legal challenges related to the conflict-of-interest concerns.
The township has maintained that the review process was handled appropriately.
What Comes Next
The Planning Commission’s acceptance of the revised application began the 90-day review period, with a decision deadline of September 28.
Several township meetings are scheduled before then:
- Thursday, July 30: Supervisors Public Hearing on SALDO Amendment. 6:30 p.m. at the Township building
- Monday, August 3: Joint Supervisors and Planning Commission Public Hearing on Linde Land Development. 6:30 p.m. at the Township building
- Tuesday, August 4: Supervisors Rescheduled August Regular Meeting. 7 p.m. at the Township building
- Wednesday, August 5: Planning Commission Regular Meeting. 7 p.m. at the Township building
- Monday, August 17: Joint Supervisors and Planning Commission Public Hearing on Linde Land Development. 6:30 p.m. at the Ladore PARC Pavilion (entrance off the Owego Turnpike)
Image: A shipping container bears the Linde Corporation name. Linde Corporation has proposed a data center campus in Clinton Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, featuring 20 data halls and natural gas generation facilities. (Liam Mayo/River Reporter)