EAST WHITELAND TWP, PA — Opponents of a proposed 1.5-million-square-foot data center in East Whiteland Township have formally threatened legal action against township officials and the project’s developers, escalating a dispute over land-use approvals, water availability and environmental concerns, according to reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
East Whiteland United, a residents’ organization opposing the development, delivered an eight-page notice of intent to sue on October 20, identifying East Whiteland Township, its three supervisors, Green Fig and Sentinel Data Centers as prospective defendants.
The notice demands that the group’s concerns be addressed “immediately and substantially,” according to The Inquirer. It does not constitute a filed lawsuit.
The dispute centers on Project Forge, a data center campus approved for the 79-acre former Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. property, a federally designated Superfund site along the border of East and West Whiteland Townships.
The project received initial township approvals in 2018 and 2024 but has faced increased opposition as developers pursued changes to its design and footprint.
The residents’ latest challenge alleges violations of township ordinances and Pennsylvania municipal-planning requirements in the approval and permitting process.
Among the issues identified is correspondence from Aqua America indicating that the water utility could not meet the project’s requirements.
The notice also challenges building-permit applications that allegedly eliminate 20-foot basements included in the approved designs for two buildings without requiring a revised land-development plan.
Residents contend that such changes require additional municipal review rather than proceeding under existing approvals.
The organization further alleges that the project’s environmental-impact assessment was incomplete or inaccurate and that developers circumvented planning requirements governing material design changes.
These assertions remain allegations made by the residents’ organization, not findings by a court.
The legal threat follows an earlier setback for opponents when a Chester County judge rejected a land-use appeal challenging the development.
East Whiteland United subsequently retained attorney Philip S. Rosenzweig, who is representing the group in its dispute over the project.
The October 20 notice represents a further escalation by identifying prospective defendants and outlining the legal grounds residents may pursue.
The dispute has also involved two township stop-work orders and proposed revisions to the development.
After encountering community opposition to those revisions, the developer abandoned the changes and moved forward under the previously approved design.
The latest allegations raise questions about whether subsequent permit applications remain consistent with those approvals.
According to The Inquirer, the township manager declined to comment on the notice. The township board chair and a developer representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
East Whiteland United has published the full notice and seven supporting exhibits, including engineering correspondence, environmental documentation, earlier zoning decisions, federal environmental reviews and screening records.
The documents are available through the organization’s website at https://eastwhitelandunited.com/news.
The threatened litigation adds another potential obstacle for Project Forge, although the existing approvals have not been overturned by the notice and no new lawsuit has been filed.
Whether the dispute proceeds to court will depend on the response to the residents’ demands and any subsequent legal action.
For additional reporting on the dispute, read The Philadelphia Inquirer’s article at https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/east-whiteland-data-center-20261020.html.
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