The East Vincent Township Board of Supervisors on May 21 rejected a contentious application to build a data center at the former site of Pennhurst State School and Hospital, following months of heated public meetings and community pushback. The developer now plans to take the decision to court.

The East Vincent plan was part of a cluster of data center proposals that have recently emerged in southeastern Pennsylvania, near the Schuylkill River and Limerick Clean Energy Center (known as the Limerick Nuclear Generating Station). Artificial intelligence data centers have been championed by Gov. Josh Shapiro and President Donald Trump for their economic and technological benefits, but local communities are working to keep them out, citing the potential impact on drinking water, carbon emissions, public health and utility bills.

Pennhurst Holdings LLC, whose principal is Derek Strine, looked to build a 1.9 million square-foot data center at the property of the now-Halloween attraction in East Vincent, which is zoned industrial mixed-use. The three-member board of supervisors unanimously struck down the plan, saying it failed to comply with current zoning standards. The decision was met with cheers from the audience of more than 100 people.

“The vote was what we expected, and in fact the board’s decision to rule on the threshold legal issues came at our request,” project spokesperson Kevin Feeley said in a statement to the Local. “We plan to appeal the decision and we look forward to presenting the merits of the project in a court of law.”

The meeting at East Vincent Elementary School marked the second conditional-use hearing for the proposal. Police officers escorted the developer’s team to and from the school and were present during the meeting. Matt Herzog, a part owner of Pennhurst Holdings, attended the hearing. Speakers debated what zoning standards should apply to the project and whether the plan qualifies under those regulations.

Matt McHugh, the applicant’s attorney, said the data center could qualify as a planned commercial development, which requires more than one principal use in a single area. The facility has multiple uses with its data center, power generation plant, substation, battery storage and office space. Carl Ewald, who represented East Vincent Advocacy, argued the proposal has only a single use, a hyperscale data center, and that facility is not permitted in the Industrial Mixed Use district. The proposal also exceeds the size requirements stated in the ordinance, he said.

Judith Graham, the attorney for Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance, said the project should have a concept plan that focuses on preserving Pennhurst’s historical and cultural significance. Several residents of the Southeastern Veterans’ Center, a long term care facility situated a few hundred feet from Pennhurst, also expressed their opposition.

Township Solicitor Joe Clement announced there will be a full written decision available within 45 days.

The move does not ban Pennhurst Holdings from submitting a different application in the future.

The Pennhurst proposal would have created an estimated 1,000 construction jobs and 250 permanent jobs, McHugh said in a previous letter to the planning commission. He stressed that the project would bring jobs and tax revenue to East Vincent and would have a closed-loop cooling system to reduce water usage. The proposal also includes a natural gas plant, McHugh said.

Over the past several months, residents have condemned the project at public meetings and demonstrations. A common concern was the potential impact of air, noise and light pollution on the nearby veterans. The East Vincent Township Planning Commission had recommended against the Pennhurst proposal, citing lack of detail, technical deficiencies and noncompliance with the zoning ordinance.

Christine McNeil, president of East Vincent Advocacy, said the team effort has been going on for about a year involving residents, attorneys, planners, historians and neighboring organizations. She spent 20-40 hours a week on research, public meetings, legal coordination, fundraising and other efforts. The group plans to continue sharing research with neighboring communities facing data center proposals.

“I hope this decision encourages communities across Pennsylvania and beyond to carefully examine the long-term impacts of hyperscale data center development, particularly proposals involving massive energy infrastructure, water consumption, noise, and impacts on historic and residential communities,” she said in a statement to the Local.

“I also hope this demonstrates that local zoning ordinances matter, that citizens can successfully participate in the legal process, and that municipalities should proactively evaluate and modernize their ordinances before these proposals arrive,” she added.

East Vincent resident Joanna Binelli said in a message to the Local that she’s happy about the board’s decision but she understands the developer saw it coming and will continue to fight for the project.

“The main reason that it’s bittersweet is that this is only the beginning,” she said.

State Sen. Katie Muth, an East Vincent resident and Democrat representing the 44th District, has been a vocal presence at meetings on the proposal. Muth said in a Facebook post that she’s “relieved” by the board’s decision and promised to continue fighting at the state level.

She plans to introduce a statewide moratorium on data center development to give officials time to study and regulate the project.

“Tonight’s outcome is another shining example of the importance of local control and how decisions about what is built in a community should be decided by the people that actually live there, not people who take campaign contributions from the entities who seek to make profits off of destroying our health, our water, our air, our land and the only planet we have to live on,” the post reads.

East Vincent resident Cindy Ramsey said she wants to see a nationwide moratorium on data centers until “it’s proven there are ways that this could be done safely.” She condemned the Shapiro and Trump administrations for supporting the projects when there’s evidence it could jeopardize public health.

There are nearly 60 data centers of various sizes in Pennsylvania that are either proposed or under construction, according to the mapping tool Track Data Centers. These include facilities proposed in Limerick, Linfield, Upper Merion and Conshohocken. One was approved in East Whiteland in 2024.