Residents see 1st glimpse of proposed Springdale data center

Springdale residents got their first look at a proposed massive data center at the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station on Wednesday.

At a well-attended planning commission meeting, representatives from the site’s land developer, Allegheny DC Property Co. LLC, presented their preliminary plans for what could be a massive complex in the borough.

Preliminary details

A consultant for Allegheny DC, Brian Regli said his company is proposing two large structures at the site — a 565,000-square-foot hyperscale data center and a 200,000-square-foot mechanical cooling plant.

Taken together, the two structures would have a total area around the size of PPG Paints Arena.

Regli said the center would utilize its vast computing power mainly for AI development. His company would target large tech companies as clients, he said.

Sites like the one proposed in Springdale often use massive amounts of energy and water to power and cool its servers.

Though he said his company is still waiting on study results for a more concrete figure, Regli estimated the site would draw a maximum of 180 megawatts of energy at any one time.

An average American home draws an average of 1,200 watts of power, meaning the energy used by the proposed data center could power about 150,000 homes.

The center’s servers would be cooled by numerous rooftop and ground-level chillers, which use water to suppress the high temperatures generated by constant computing.

While the water required to cool the facility would be significant, Regli said once the chillers are “charged” with an initial influx of water, the liquid would enter a closed loop to be repeatedly recycled and reused.

If the center were approved, he said, his company would become one of the largest customers of Springdale water.

Construction of the massive complex would likely involve hundreds or thousands of workers, but Regli said the site would likely employ 80 to 100 people upon its completion.

Those jobs would include security guards and custodial staff as well as more technical jobs servicing the data center’s servers. At any one time, he said, 40 to 60 people would be on site.

“Broadly speaking, there are a tremendous number of economic development benefits to this community and the region as you think about why or how to say ‘yes’ to this,” Regli said.

Paul D’Onofrio, an architect at engineering firm Jacobs Solutions, said the interior of the center would feature several large rooms housing thousands of servers.

With its flat grade and preexisting electrical infrastructure, D’Onofrio said the site is very conducive to the proposed center.

Bob Maloney, a landscape architect at Jacobs, said much of the massive facility would not be visible to drivers passing on Pittsburgh Street. With a perimeter fence and trees lining the site’s border, he said, the designs sought to obscure the facility.

Lights throughout the proposed project would face down and be unobtrusive to neighboring houses, he said.

The site’s existing buildings would be demolished, according to preliminary site plans.

St. Mark’s Cemetery and the Harwick Miners Memorial, the final resting place for dozens and monument to the 179 miners who died in the 1904 Harwick mine disaster, sit in the middle of the former industrial site.

Regli said the company would improve the burial ground, making it a sort of “grotto” for visiting residents.

The consultant also said he hoped to build a hiking trail along Tawney Run connecting the nearby Rachel Carson Trail to Cheswick’s Rachel Carson Riverfront Park.

A riverside park at the site, however, is unlikely, Regli said.

International ownership

The developer is listed as Allegheny DC Property Co. LLC, but that company is controlled by Davidson Kempner.

Davidson Kempner Capital Management is an investment firm with tens of billions of assets under management and offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

The company is among the largest hedge fund managers in the world.

In 2021, Davidson Kempner committed to investing $9.35 billion by 2030 in a data center hub near Lisbon, Portugal, in collaboration with a British firm, according to Reuters.

In addition to backing Start Campus, the company behind the Portuguese data complex, Davidson Kempner also made a LinkedIn post in April to announce its investment in PointOne Data Centers, a developer based in Northern Virginia.

Northern Virginia, sometimes referred to as “data center alley,” has the largest volume of data facilities in the country.

But, to Regli, Western Pennsylvania could be the next area of mass development.

“This region is really primed for artificial intelligence and power,” he said.

Residents’ reactions

Springdale residents — and others from neighboring communities — came armed with questions to Wednesday’s planning commission meeting.

Deborah Piontek, who lives near the facility, arrived at the podium with a laundry list of queries for the developers.

She questioned developers about the possibility of light pollution in neighboring communities and asked the planning commissioners to consider forming an ad hoc committee of residents to offer input throughout the application process.

Devon McCullough said after the meeting he’d be interested in joining such a committee. The Springdale resident asked the developers about the potential environmental impact of the facility.

He asked Regli whether Allegheny DC knows the amount of carbon dioxide that would be emitted from the site. The developer said he doesn’t know but would likely have an answer as development progresses.

Jim Masili questioned the architects about the amount of backup generators required at the site and the potential for noise pollution during their use.

According to D’Onofrio, the facility would have upward of 100 generators in case of a power failure, which would have to be regularly tested. But, he said, the developers would not exceed decibel regulations in the borough.

Next steps

Wednesday’s meeting was only a preliminary sketch review of Allegheny DC’s plans for the site.

That means in the coming weeks the company will have to submit a formal conditional use application to the borough for the planning commission to review.

The commission would then hold a public hearing before offering its recommendations in writing to the borough council.

Council would then vote whether to grant that application with conditions based on borough regulations.

After that, a second series of meetings and discussions regarding land development — this time with involvement from the county — would begin.