Springdale Planning Commission to review plans for proposed massive data center

The first meeting for a proposed data center in Spring­dale is set for Aug. 6.

That’s when the borough’s planning commission will hear a presentation from the site developer and discuss potential conditions for its use at a public meeting.

Springdale Borough Manager Terry Carcella said topics likely would include protections for the public, job creation and data center operations.

The proposed development would take place at the vast site of the former Cheswick Generating Station, the remainder of which was demolished this year.

Scott Reschly, president of Charah Environmental Redevelopment Group, the Louisville-based firm that bought the site in 2022, confirmed in May that he is under contract with a “large multinational experienced” data center developer pending a due diligence period.

The sale of the site, he said, will be completed by the end of the year.

Data centers house computing equipment, such as servers and storage devices, that hold internet data including text messages, internet services and bank transactions for companies or organizations.

A legal ad for the meeting lists the developer as “Allegheny DC Property Company LLC,” which is an entity that registered in Delaware in 2020.

After the Aug. 6 meeting, Carcella said, he expects the company to submit a conditional use application and return to the planning commission for a second meeting.

The commission would then offer its recommendation to the borough council, which would vote on final approval for the project.

That approval could come as soon as September or October, the borough manager said.

Carcella said the center would be a “good thing for the community,” but it has met mixed reactions among neighbors.

Public comment periods will be available at the beginning and end of the meeting.