Residents continued to voice opposition this week to a proposed data center campus in Clinton Township, Pennsylvania, as local officials weighed questions about zoning, legal authority and whether the project’s application is complete.
The proposed development would span nearly 700 acres and include more than 20 buildings in Wayne County.
At a May 29 Board of Supervisors meeting, the township’s newly appointed interim solicitor, Ronald Bugaj, advised officials that a previously discussed moratorium on data center development may not be legal under Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code.
“The moratorium had been considered as a way for the township to halt any kind of data center development until it had its ordinances in order. But according to this new solicitor’s opinion, there is some doubt that moratorium would stand,” said River Reporter Editor Liam Mayo.
Bugaj told officials that if the moratorium could not withstand legal scrutiny, any complete application already submitted would likely need to be reviewed under current ordinances rather than future regulations.
Residents at the meeting also pressed township officials about how quickly new data center regulations could be adopted. Mayo said Bugaj indicated that creating a comprehensive zoning ordinance would take time, but amendments to the township’s subdivision and land development ordinance could potentially be completed within six weeks to two months.
Questions about conflicts of interest also surfaced during the meeting.
Mayo reported that the township replaced its previous solicitor after concerns were raised about prior legal work performed for Scott Linde, whose company is behind the proposed project. However, residents questioned the appointment of the new interim solicitor because of his own connections to Linde Corporation.
“There were some attacks on this interim solicitor on his ability to be impartial due to prior representation and involvement with Linde Corporation,” Mayo said.
The debate continued at a June 3 Planning Commission meeting, where commissioners considered whether the developer’s application contained enough information to move forward.
According to Mayo, the commission ultimately determined that the application was incomplete, citing four areas requiring additional information, including sewage disposal details, a viewshed analysis, historic resources documentation and other project-specific information required under township regulations.
“The planning commission did decide that the application was not complete,” Mayo said.
The decision does not end the proposal, but requires developers to address deficiencies identified by the commission before resubmitting materials.
Mayo said uncertainty remains over how quickly developers can revise the application and whether new local regulations could take effect before the application is deemed complete.
“If the developers of this project don’t have a completed application before the township can put its data center ordinances into effect, I think it’s a question that may end up needing to be litigated,” Mayo said.
Public interest in the project remains high.
Mayo described the atmosphere at the June 3 meeting as highly charged, with audience members applauding when residents or their attorney identified perceived shortcomings in the proposal.
“At times, it almost felt like a sporting event,” Mayo said.
He added that township officials repeatedly reminded attendees that the meeting was limited to determining the application’s completeness, not debating the broader merits of the project.
Still, concerns about the project’s potential impact on the community remained front and center.
“They also care a lot about what this will do to their area,” Mayo said. “So that absolutely came through and it led to a very heated set of discussions.”
The Planning Commission is expected to hold an emergency meeting in the coming days to further review what information may be required from the developer.
Image: Attendees at a Wednesday, June 3 meeting of the Clinton Township Planning Commission cheer as the commission announces its decision that a data center application is incomplete. (Liam Mayo | River Reporter)