Huge response at Elizabeth Township data center town hall

More than 200 people showed up, with many expressing opposition to the proposal.

Opposition was voiced, petitions were signed and people were escorted out of the room by police during a public hearing on a possible data center Tuesday in Elizabeth Township.

More than 200 residents attended the town hall at Elizabeth Forward Middle School’s auditorium, and many were able to speak their minds.

People look on during a Elizabeth Township town hall meeting at Elizabeth Forward Middle School on Oct. 13. Jeff Helsel / MVI

As they entered the auditorium, many put their names on petitions opposing the proposed data center.

The town hall is a first step after township commissioners were approached in June about the possibility of a data center in a power plant.

Township resident Eric Piper was the moderator, asking 45 to 50 questions summarized from roughly 330 submitted for the event.

“This community is my home,” Piper said. “My family has been in this township for nearly 100 years. I care about this community just as I know everyone in this room does. And whether you support this proposed development, oppose it or simply want to learn more, I believe we all have something in common. We want what’s best for Elizabeth Township, and the

Tim Hendricks, Bucks County-based real estate developer, speaks during an Elizabeth Township town hall meeting at Elizabeth Forward Middle School on Oct. 13. Jeff Helsel / MVI

people that call it home.”

Attendees heard from Tim Hendricks, a real estate developer for 35 years, who is interested in the 550-acre property, which is located on Henderson Road in the Buena Vista area of the township next to the Youghiogheny River. Piper said the property is two and a half times bigger than Kennywood Park.

“There’s hundreds of acres proposed that would not be built on out of the total,” Hendricks said. “This is an evolving process. Things change as we get more information. As I start to get answers, we can update the plan to make it more usable and hopefully better for the community.”

The initial proposed site plans involve 20 two-story buildings, storm water basins and a promise that the property would be around 2,000 feet from any manufactured housing. Many residents argued Tuesday that there are properties across the river that are around 1,000 feet from the proposed site.

The property plans will be refined when the time comes and if that is how things proceed, according to Hendricks, who said he’s trying to put a data center as far away from residential areas as possible.

Hendricks added that $125 million in tax revenues would be given back to the township and the school district, with 200 to 300 permanent jobs being created at $60,000 to $100,000 a year. He said there will be no pollutants, and residents’ energy will not be affected.

Hendricks chose the site based on the recommendation of a colleague’s brother who was looking at the possibility of a solar field on part of the property. There are also gas lines and power lines, and the site was cleaned up by the environmental groups. “We are working with four data centers. None of them have made it to construction yet,” Hendricks said. “They are in process. As everybody knows here, data centers in Pennsylvania are kind of a newer phenomenon. Sometimes people are not familiar with what they serve, and everybody assumes that it’s AI. They are involved with AI, but when you send a text, when you stream a movie at home, you are using a data center somewhere in the world for that activity.”

If the proposed data center actually gets built, Hendricks said the company that will take on the property will fill his role. First, they have to identify the property, he has to figure out what can be done with the property and he needs to obtain all permits and approvals that are needed.

He has spoken with natural gas providers, and since the process is very early on, he is trying to determine if it makes sense for the community.

Hendricks will reach out to township commissioners about what the next step is, and there are no formal submissions as of Tuesday. He added that a lot more steps need to be completed and deferred many of his answers because he is not far along with the development process.

Commissioner Jim Benedek asked if Hendricks could address the amount of power or water consumption, but Hendricks said he could not answer anything because he did not want to throw numbers out without the right information. Benedek stated that Hendricks could have calculated the hypothetical numbers if the township were to proceed with this project.

Residents got to question Hendricks about the proposed project at Tuesday’s meeting.

Megan McDonough, state director at Food and Water Watch, asked Hendricks how much public opposition would cause him to run away, and which commissioner was his favorite.

“What you need from tonight if I am gathering it correctly is buy-in from the township, but by township commissioners, regardless of public opposition,” McDonough said. “You want them to change the zoning code to accommodate it, and then we’ll find out more specifics.”

Resident Candy Woy asked what would happen to the animals on the property and what the other environmental impacts would be.

Mary Jane Carnahan said she lives on Terrytown Drive and is one of the property’s closest neighbors. She said the area has mines underground, and if two buildings would be built in one year, then she said there will be construction noise for 10 years.

“What’s happening to our neighborhood?” Carnahan said. “People care about each other in our neighborhood. We don’t want this. This is a neighborhood that cares about one another, and we have a nice neighborhood. This will deplete the value of all of our homes.”

One person was escorted out of the auditorium by Elizabeth Township officers after creating a disturbance at the back of the room. Officers did not disclose what exactly happened during the incident.

Protect Elizabeth Township is hosting a town hall at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at Butler’s Golf Course on Rock Run Road, which will feature a panel of speakers and those working against data centers in other communities.