Hunting Land Swap Raises Data Center Fears In Philly Suburbs
Residents are up in arms after the Pennsylvania Game Commission moved to transfer a publicly held parcel in Limerick Township to a mysterious developer. Some worry it will lead to the construction of a data center near their homes.
The commission voted 6-3 on Saturday to transfer 55 acres of state game lands to Limerick Town Center LLC, which owns an adjacent industrial property, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
In exchange, the state would gain 559 acres across three counties, including 177 acres in Edgmont, which would become Delaware County’s first public hunting grounds.
But officials and residents in Limerick Township opposed the decision amid a lack of clarity around the LLC’s plans for the site at Main Street and Pennhurst Road, previously occupied by the Publicker Distillery, the Inquirer reported.
The township’s website says the LLC has proposed building two warehouses spanning 1.9M SF at 1301 Main St., but Pennsylvania State Sen. Katie Muth believes they are planning more than warehouses.
“That property is zoned Heavy Industrial, which allows for a hyperscale data center campus,” she wrote in a social media call to action ahead of Saturday’s vote.
“Anywhere near high-voltage transmission lines is a sitting duck for a data center. If this swap goes through, we are one step closer to turning our communities into Data Center Alley 2.0. This land is publicly owned wildlife habitat and forest. It should not be traded away so Big Tech and AI corporations can maximize profits at the expense of our environment and quality of life.”
Limerick Town Center LLC appears to share a mailing address with construction firm DiNardo & Sons, which didn't respond to Bisnow’s request for comment.
The dispute comes as data centers have become a political football in Pennsylvania.
While a wide swath of high-ranking bipartisan officials have supported the industry and the tax revenue they think it will bring, residents and local lawmakers have rallied against the projects.
The Limerick Township site is directly across the Schuylkill River from Pennhurst State School and Hospital in East Vincent Township, where plans for a 1.3M SF data center have drawn similar scrutiny.
Data center proposals are a familiar trend in Pennsylvania at this point, but Montgomery County business owner Fred Ebert told the Inquirer he believes the land swap tactic could open up a new front in this battle.
“This exchange places a target on all ... game lands for development,” he said. “It provides developers with a game plan and a path to seek out desirable land.”
