Springdale data center gets initial OK, but several more public hearings to come

Though Springdale Council offered its approval for a conditional-use application from developers seeking to build a massive data center in the borough, the vote is only the beginning of the process.

The project now enters the land development stage, which likely will last months and involve several more public meetings before construction can start.

A conditional-use approval essentially allows developers to proceed with the outline of a plan with conditions agreed upon by the borough and developers.

But in the coming months, developers from Allegheny DC Property Co. will have to return to Springdale with more detailed models in hand to present a preliminary — and then a final — land development plan, according to borough Manager Terry Carcella.

Like the recent conditional-use process, both of those plans will have to appear before Springdale’s planning commission and borough council.

This time, however, the final decision sits with Allegheny County officials.

Unlike most local municipalities, Springdale doesn’t have its own Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) to govern the way plots are divided and how they can be developed. The borough defers to the county’s SALDO.

Borough council will be able to offer recommendations to the Allegheny County Economic Development Planning Division, but it’s that body that ultimately will approve or deny the developer’s plans.

Allegheny County spokesperson Abigail Gardner said in a statement that the Economic Development Department is awaiting an application from developers.

“The process in that ordinance dictates that once (Allegheny County Economic Development) receives and reviews a complete application, we will host meetings with the borough, the public and the development team,” Gardner said. “We look forward to sharing more details about that process in the coming weeks and months.”

With approval of a final land development plan, Allegheny DC could finally come back to the borough for a zoning and building permit, Carcella said, which would be granted by a Springdale zoning officer.

It’s only with those permits in hand that the company could begin construction at the site, Carcella said.

Allegheny County Health Department spokesman Ronnie Das said his department anticipates receiving an air quality permit for the project but hasn’t received one yet. Das said there also could be plumbing plans that ACHD would inspect.

Brian Regli, a consultant for Allegheny DC who has served as the main spokesman for the project, told TribLive he hopes to be back in Springdale in early spring with a more detailed design.

Between permitting and construction, Regli previously said, the center would go online ideally within 2 to 2½ years. But the consultant said it could ultimately take 3½ to 5 years.