Since buying their 11-acre Pennsylvania property in 2019, Kelsey Kemmerer and her husband had worried a large data center next door might eventually force them to leave.
That concern ended when the developer withdrew its application, a result that neighbors who organized against the proposal see as a major win for their rural community.
Here's what to know
According to 69 News, Hanover Development Limited Partnership pulled its application for a 150,000-square-foot data center planned for a 37-acre parcel beside Kemmerer's property in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County. The company cited community opposition as the reason for the withdrawal.
In July, Kemmerer told 69 News that the couple might relocate if the project were built next to their home, but now they plan to stay. "It's like a weight, just like lifted, huge burden. We were in no way ready to move," she said.
Hanover submitted the proposal in June only hours before Upper Hanover Township approved a data center ordinance that would have stopped the project.
Michele Vandernoth, whose nonprofit Upper Perkiomen Valley Data Center Opposition helped mobilize residents, said the community quickly realized it needed an organized response. "Very quickly where we all decided we needed to organize. It was a great enough effort, and we did. And that kind of set this process in motion. And here we are today."
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More background
Township officials said the withdrawal did not resolve their broader doubts about the proposal. Upper Hanover Township Manager Anne Klepfer said officials were skeptical from the start because the plans lacked detail and did not properly account for underground gas pipelines and electrical lines on the site.
She said the township spent about $20,000 on the application, an expense that burdened local government while it evaluated a project that may never have been realistic.
Klepfer also raised the possibility that presenting a data center plan could have made another form of development seem more acceptable. "So we always kind of questioned whether there ever really was going to be a data center," Klepfer said.
No proof shows this was the developer's intent, and 69 News reported that the company did not respond to questions about the township's concerns.
What's being done?
Vandernoth's nonprofit helped build opposition through outreach and signs around the community, allowing residents to act together instead of confronting the proposal one at a time.
The developer is considering residential construction, but the parcel is zoned for light industrial use, so any plan to build homes would require a zoning change that the township would have to approve.
For Kemmerer and other residents nearby, attention has shifted to what may come next, since any future project on those 37 acres could still alter the neighborhood around their homes. Vandernoth said: "Says we've got grit, you know, and we live here, and we're going to influence how this area is developed because we have to live with it."
Where can I learn more?
Similar fights are unfolding across Pennsylvania as communities push back on proposed data centers. These articles cover legal appeals, township opposition, and new ways residents can file concerns.
• In Lancaster County, residents appealed the approval as legal limits clouded the data center fight.
• In North Coventry Township, supervisors unanimously opposed the mall data center, but the project survived.
• In Middlesex Township, officials postponed the controversial vote again after a medical emergency disrupted proceedings.
• In Harrisburg, lawmakers and residents praised Shapiro's fast-track ban while warning bigger battles remain.
• Across Pennsylvania, officials opened a portal for residents to challenge proposed AI data centers.
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