Months of meetings and discussions surrounding a massive proposed data center in Springdale are set to be resolved Tuesday.
Springdale Council is expected to vote to approve or reject a conditional-use application for the center, which would sit at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station in the borough.
Developers from Allegheny DC Property Co., backed by New York-based hedge fund Davidson Kempner, presented the last of their testimony to council last month.
Allegheny DC consultant Brian Regli has expressed confidence in the developer’s position ahead of the vote.
“I think we’ve earned enough trust to get those ‘yes’ votes if we get them,” Regli previously told TribLive.
A conditional-use application asks council to allow the development while also permitting elected officials to apply conditions to their approval.
Conditions are mutually agreed-upon terms for approval between developers and local officials. These conditions can place further restrictions on certain aspects of the center, such as capping its noise levels lower than borough maximums or requiring developers to invest in local emergency services.
Developers already have agreed to 18 conditions, which govern things such as noise, light and security at the site.
The borough’s planning commission recommended modifying one condition to allow developers to test their diesel backup generators only between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Another suggested modification is that the developers perform frequency modeling in addition to noise modeling.
It’s unclear what additions or modifications to the existing conditions might have been made in the meantime.
If the data center proposal falls within Springdale’s existing ordinances, however, council may have little legal basis to reject the project, and developers could appeal a denial to Allegheny County court.
Still, the project has drawn ambivalence — and often condemnation — from Springdale residents and other locals.
Many have voiced concerns about noise from the center, its effect on local electricity costs and the project’s potential environmental impacts.
Local environmental groups and residents plan to gather outside the borough building for a rally and news conference at 5 p.m. ahead of the vote.
Councilman Dan Copeland said he thinks there’s a “healthy blend” of support and opposition for the center, but he said he has never seen anything of this scale proposed in Springdale.
“This is the biggest decision I’ll ever make as an elected official,” he said. “It’s going to be huge no matter which way we go.”
Developers cleared a notable hurdle last week when the borough’s zoning hearing board approved half a dozen requested variances, which would allow the building to rise to 75 feet with rooftop equipment.
Springdale’s planning commission also offered its blessing to the project last month.
The data center vote will take place during council’s regular December meeting, meaning several other agenda items are likely to be discussed and voted on — including Springdale’s 2026 budget.
The meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m.
