East Whiteland data center plan sparks concerns over home values, noise, and size

East Whiteland Township residents debate future data center at packed meeting

East Whiteland Township residents attended a special meeting to discuss amendments to a previously approved data center project, with concerns and support voiced by community members and project leaders.

EAST WHITELAND TWP., Pa. - Residents filled an auditorium Monday night to voice their opinions on a future data center planned for Bacton Hill Road, as the East Whiteland Township Planning Commission considered amendments to the project.

Community turnout and concerns over the data center

What we know:

Signs along Swedesford Road encouraged residents to attend the meeting and express their views on the data center project. 

People from Malvern and nearby communities showed up in large numbers, with many holding signs and sharing concerns about property values, noise and environmental impact.

"Where they’re going to put this up is a mile and a half from my house, and I’m concerned that it will affect my property value. I’m also concerned about the noise," said Pat Dickerson, Exton resident.

"From air, to noise, to frequency, these are not industries that should be anywhere near residents," said Monica Schryver, East Vincent Township resident.

For years, the proposed data center has sparked debate in Malvern, with some residents worried about its impact and others supporting the potential economic benefits.

Amendments to the data center plan and next steps

The other side:

The planning commission reviewed changes to the project, including more and larger trees, no antennas or microwave towers, new sound walls, a switch to air-cooled chillers, and an increase in total building size from just over 1 million square feet to more than 1.6 million square feet.

"We will build some sort of data center. The question here is before the township and for the planning commission is which one will it be," said Lou Colagreco, attorney for the applicant.

"When they changed the cooling systems, we needed more room on each roof for the air cool chillers, so we redesigned these buildings, which were three-story buildings, as two-story buildings to give more area on the roof," said Charlie Lyddane, developer.

He added that the total square footage remains about 200,000 square feet less than the 1.8 million allowed.

Residents on both sides spoke up, with some asking for independent studies on property values and others highlighting job opportunities.

"Before this board approves a project of this scale, the residents of East Whiteland deserve an independent answer to one simple question: What will this do to the value of our homes? Not a regional study from a different market," said Chris Montana.

"This project will provide consistent work to the dedicated workers, and the families would benefit greatly," said Douglas Strang.

A community member said, "This data center is coming, it’s been approved data center. The question remains which plan is going to be better for our community. That’s where we’re at."

The planning commission did not make a decision Monday but referred the amendment to the board of supervisors. 

Construction is expected to take about two years once it begins.

The planning commission’s next meeting is set for March 25.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear which version of the data center plan will be approved or when construction will officially begin.