Officials dispute claims data center coming to Rostraver golf course property

State Rep. Eric Davanzo refuted a social media post that claimed his office confirmed the rumor was true.

Rumors circulating on social media claim Cedarbrook Golf Course has been sold for a proposed data center. Township officials say that’s not the case.

No development proposal has been submitted, no zoning changes have been requested and, to their knowledge, the property has not been sold. Rostraver Township Commissioner Chairman Jeffrey Johnson said the township has received no requests from any developer.

“We have no requests, no proposals, no zoning changes planned,” Johnson said. “We have nothing for anywhere, let alone Cedarbrook. No one has even approached to ask us for information.”

Johnson also said that, to the best of his knowledge, Cedarbrook Golf Course has not changed ownership.

Cedarbrook Golf Course, located in Rostraver Township, is a privately held, independent family business operated under the corporate entity Framar Inc.

Several Facebook posts circulating Wednesday claimed the property had been sold for a proposed data center.

One post stated “a new data center for Rostraver is in the works” and urged residents to contact state Rep. Eric Davanzo’s office and attend the July 20 board of commissioners meeting.

Davanzo

Davanzo also disputed a claim made in one of the social media posts that his office had confirmed a data center was coming to Rostraver.

“I can also state for the record that the individual claiming my office confirmed a data center is coming to Rostraver never contacted my office to verify that assertion,” Davanzo said.

Another post promoted a community meeting regarding what it described as a “proposed data center planned for the Cedarbrook Golf Course property.”

The speculation has also drawn the attention of environmental advocates.

Protect PT, a nonprofit environmental organization, distributed an email this week inviting residents to attend the July 20 Rostraver Township commissioners meeting.

The email said the organization had “recently learned about a potential proposed data center development near the Cedarbrook Golf Course in Rostraver” and encouraged residents to attend the meeting, ask questions and voice concerns about the potential impacts such a project could have on local infrastructure, energy use and water resources.

In addition to outreach from Protect PT, an online Change. org petition calling on Rostraver Township commissioners to prohibit data centers within the township had garnered more than 1,500 signatures as of Wednesday. The petition urges township officials to prohibit future data center development within the municipality.

Despite the public concern, Johnson said the facts remain unchanged.

Johnson said residents are welcome to attend the July 20 meeting and ask questions, but he emphasized there is nothing related to a data center on the agenda.

“I’m not sure where the rumors started,” Johnson said. “We’ll answer people’s questions, but there’s currently nothing on the July 20 agenda regarding data centers.”

Davanzo, R-Smithton, said his office has also received questions from residents and acknowledged that business owners and farmers across the region, including in Rostraver Township, have been approached by individuals representing firms interested in purchasing their property.

Those inquiries, he said, have prompted questions about whether data center development could be coming to the area.

However, Davanzo said there is nothing his office has confirmed regarding a project in Rostraver.

“At this point, there has been nothing confirmed through my office or by my staff regarding any proposed data center,” Davanzo said. “I understand why there is interest and concern in the community, but it is important to separate speculation from confirmed information.”

Zoning hurdles

While rumors have linked Cedarbrook Golf Course to a possible data center, Johnson said any such project would first have to overcome significant zoning hurdles.

Rostraver Township adopted Ordinance No. 781 in October 2025 to establish regulations governing data centers within the municipality. The ordinance created “data center” as a defined land use and established where those facilities may be located, along with development standards they must meet.

Under the ordinance, data centers are permitted only in the township’s B-2 Retail Business, MU Mixed Use, I-1 Light Industrial, I-2 Heavy Industrial and I-3 Mixed Industrial zoning districts. The ordinance also establishes standards for setbacks, buffering, landscaping, fencing, lighting, screening, parking, emergency power systems, noise and other site design requirements intended to reduce impacts on neighboring properties.

Johnson said Cedarbrook Golf Course is not currently located within one of those zoning districts.

“If a company were to purchase the golf course, it is currently not zoned to permit a data center being constructed,” he said.

He stressed that even if ownership of the property were to change in the future, construction could not simply begin.

Instead, the developer would first have to seek a zoning map amendment, commonly referred to as rezoning.

The rezoning process begins with a formal application submitted to the township’s Planning and Zoning Department, including legal descriptions of the property.

The application is then reviewed by the township’s Planning Agency, which consists of the township engineer, planner and zoning officer.

The agency evaluates whether the request is consistent with the township’s planning goals before forwarding its recommendation.

Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code also requires the township to forward the proposed zoning amendment to the Westmoreland County Planning Department for a mandatory 30-day review before commissioners can consider it.

During that time, legal notices must be published in local newspapers and signs must be posted around the affected property notifying nearby residents that a zoning change has been requested.

The process concludes with a public hearing before the Rostraver Township Board of Commissioners, where residents have an opportunity to comment before commissioners vote during a public meeting on whether to approve or deny the zoning map amendment.

Johnson said no developer has begun any part of that process.

As concerns over data center development have grown across Pennsylvania, lawmakers in Harrisburg have also begun weighing additional oversight for future projects.

Davanzo said he voted in favor of House Bill 2496, legislation that would allow municipalities to adopt a temporary 180-day pause on accepting data center development proposals while they review or update their local land-use ordinances. The bill passed the Pennsylvania House by a 201-1 vote on June 24 and has since advanced to the Senate, where it was amended by the Senate Local Government Committee on June 30 and re-referred to the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee for further consideration.

“Ultimately, this will be a local decision,” Davanzo said.

“I can also state for the record that the individual claiming my office confirmed a data center is coming to Rostraver never contacted my office to verify that assertion.”

STATE REP. ERIC DAVANZO

R-SMITHTON