The company planning to build a data center complex in Lower Towamensing Township proposed this week to add a building in neighboring Bowmanstown.

The proposed data center developers are DTA Alliance LLC sand quarry and Murphy’s Meadow LLC, both owned by DT Allen Contracting

The applicants filed a curative amendment with the borough Tuesday. The filing challenges the borough’s zoning ordinance, claiming it’s 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 as a conditional use on 55 acres near the Ore and Ridge Street intersection in Bowmanstown.

DTA is requesting to build a 375,000-square-foot data center building. The plan includes proposed stormwater management and substantial natural buffers, such as dense trees to the north and natural ridgelines.

Ore Street and Ridge Street would serve as an access point.

According to a map provided with the filing, the property would extend toward Route 248.

Lower Towamensing

DTA has also filed a curative amendment in Lower Towamensing. The proposal there encompasses the 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, and 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.

The data complex footprint winds around four private residences.

Dan Connor, operations manager for DTA Alliance LLC, based on Golf Road outside Palmerton, said that 368 acres are under contract, including the Blue Shamrock Golf Course.

The Bowmanstown project proposes to connect to a power generation facility or substation in the adjacent property in Lower Towamensing.

The building is proposed greater than 200 feet from the right of way of any portion of the site with existing residential uses. The filing says the building will incorporate a complimentary mix of design elements and materials such as metal, glass, split-face block and stone, or veneers of such materials or man-made equivalent veneer or materials providing the appearance of such materials.

Zoning

While the Bowmanstown Borough zoning ordinance identifies six zoning districts within its boundaries, it does not currently provide for a data center use in any of its zoning districts.

However, its current schedule of use regulations lists several potential industrial uses prohibited throughout all zones.

The subject property is in the Open Space Residential Zoning District of the borough, and the current by-right uses of the parcels within that zone are limited to single family residence, boardinghouse, day care, home occupation, place of worship and similar uses.

None of the uses defined by the zoning ordinance and accommodated within the borough boundaries are sufficiently broad to encompass the data center use, DTA says in the challenge.

A section of the zoning ordinance entitled “Uses Not Specifically Regulated.”

However, DTA says this provision improperly delegates the legislative zoning authority granted solely to borough council to the zoning hearing board. Furthermore, the standards set under this provision are not objective enough and allow the zoning hearing board to effectively legislate use classifications on a case-by-case basis.

DTA challenges that this provision does not cure the zoning ordinance’s failure to provide for a legitimate use — a data center.

Borough council met on Tuesday, at which point discussion on its data center ordinance draft was listed on its meeting agenda.

Efforts to reach borough council in time for today’s publication were unsuccessful.

Proposed benefits

The property owners listed several benefits in the curative amendment filing:

• Job creation: The data center brings about 30 full-time employees per building (or 100 megawatts). The median employee salary for a data center is between $80-$150,000 per year.

• Infrastructure development: The development of data centers requires investments in local infrastructure, and more stable and resilient power grids to support the use, both of which benefit the local community.

• Tax implications: Data center construction increases property values of the subject tax parcels on which a data center is located, and tax revenues for municipalities, counties and school districts, providing necessary financial resources to upgrade schools and public facilities and services.

The anticipated economic and fiscal impacts of data center development on the subject property would significantly exceed those of alternative uses, such as warehouse or industrial facilities.

“Based on our analysis, the full build-out of the data center campus is projected to be completed by 2030, positioning the municipality to benefit from substantial long-term tax revenues, high-value capital investments, and consistent equipment refresh cycles that generate ongoing economic activity,” the company said in its filing.

“We estimate the total project cost at approximately $4 billion. Of this, $1 billion will be allocated to construction of buildings and installation of fixed infrastructure and non-computing equipment. Construction is expected to occur over a two-year period for each section of every building. We anticipate that each completed section will achieve full occupancy within its first year of operation, the filing said.

The applicant promises a five-year refresh cycle for data center equipment, meaning approximately 20% of the equipment in each building will be replaced annually, a standard industry practice.

Hearing postponed

At Lower Towamensing Township’s board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday it was announced that a public hearing on the proposed data center that had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Aquashicola Fire Company has been postponed.

Township solicitor Jim Nanovic said 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 it would be willing to lend them their auditorium.

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

Residents

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

Linda Christman, president of Save Carbon County, is organizing volunteers to hand out literature and looking for people to testify.

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

Christman said she plans another meeting.

DTA filed the challenge to the zoning ordinance Sept. 1, which would allow data centers as a permitted use within an overlay district encompassing the Resort & Recreation and Rural Conservation zoning districts.

Lower Towamensing has appointed legal counsel for the case. Graham Simmons III, of Norris McLaughlin PA, was hired at the rate of $275 per hour for associates and $325 per hour for partners.