A public hearing on a hotly-contested data center proposed in Lower Towamensing Township has been postponed.

The curative amendment hearing had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Aquashicola Fire Company.

However, township solicitor Jim Nanovic announced at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting that the applicant has requested it to be continued to a later date.

As a result, Nanovic said the hearing will be continued to a date to be determined on the week of Dec. 14, with the dates of Dec. 14, Dec. 16, and Dec. 17 as possibilities.

In the event the fire company isn’t able to host the hearing, Nanovic said the township could check with Palmerton Area School District to see if it could be held at the school to see if they would be willing to lend them their auditorium.

If not, the hearing will be held at the fire company.

Earlier in the meeting, Linda Christman, president, Save Carbon County, asked the board how the hearing would be conducted.

The board will hear from the people who they grant standing to, and will also hear from members of the general public.

After the meeting, Christman said Save Carbon County will likely have another meeting in advance of the curative amendment hearing.

About 100 residents attended a meeting hosted by Save Carbon County at the Palmerton Area Library on Thursday to organize volunteers concerning the data center.

The proposal

The proposed data center developers are the owners of the Alliance Sand Quarry, which is DTA Alliance LLC, and Murphy’s Meadow LLC. Dan Connor, operations manager for DTA Alliance, said that Murphy’s Meadow is owned by DT Allen Contracting in New Jersey, and that 368 acres are under contract, including the Blue Shamrock Golf Course.

The proposal in Lower Towamensing encompasses the Blue Shamrock Golf Club and land at the sand quarry, and is proposed to be adjacent to Fireline Road, housing in Bowmanstown, and Princeton and Edgemont Avenue in West Palmerton. There are 14 buildings planned over 700 acres with a total footprint of 4.5-million square feet.

The buildings range in size as follows: Building A: 162,500 square feet; Building B, $650,000 square feet; Building C, 500,000 square feet; Building D, 125,000 square feet; Building E, 500,000 square feet; Buildings F, G, H, & I 125,000 square feet; Building J: 400,000 square feet; Buildings K and L, 500,000 square feet; Building M: 300,000 square feet; and Building N: 420,000 square feet.

DTA filed the challenge to the zoning ordinance Sept. 1. The property owners filed the curative amendment to challenge the township’s zoning ordinance, alleging it is defective because it fails to provide for data center use anywhere in the municipality.

The amendment proposes allowing data centers as a permitted use within an overlay district encompassing the Resort & Recreation and Rural Conservation zoning districts.

At a special meeting Sept. 15, Lower Towamensing Township appointed legal counsel for a challenge to the validity of the zoning ordinance filed by DTA Alliance LLC.

Graham Simmons III, of Norris McLaughlin PA, was hired at the rate of $275 per hour for associates and $325 per hour for partners.