Gregg Township delays data center hearing for more noise review

Gregg Township put the brakes on a proposed data center in Great Stream Commons, saying its engineer still needs more information before supervisors can judge how the project would fit near Allenwood and Route 15. The hearing on PNK Group’s landowner curative amendment, which had been set for June 1 at the Allenwood Social Hall, was pushed back to sometime in July.

Township officials said the delay was needed so the engineer could review more details, especially noise levels and noise limits tied to the proposed use. That may sound narrow, but for a project tied to four data centers in an existing business park, the unanswered engineering questions reach well beyond sound. Before Union County sees a major investment move forward, the file still needs to show how the project would handle power demand, water and sewer needs, traffic, stormwater and emergency response capacity, all of which shape whether a large-scale data operation can live alongside nearby homes and local roads without forcing costly upgrades onto the township.

The pause came after weeks of rising attention. Gregg Township’s planning commission held a workshop on March 25 to research and discuss writing its own data-center ordinance for zoning. On April 2, PNK Group was scheduled to hold a meeting in Allenwood about a Gregg Township site that could be used for a data center. PNK has also asked supervisors to allow data centers in commercial and manufacturing districts, a change that would affect how the township regulates future development, not just this one proposal.

The scrutiny intensified as residents turned out in force. More than 110 people attended a supervisors meeting to voice concerns about the project at Great Stream Commons, the commercial and industrial park along Route 15. That reaction reflects the stakes for nearby neighborhoods and for the wider Lewisburg area: if the project advances, it could bring new tax base and construction activity, but it could also place new demands on roads, utilities and township oversight.

There is also a power question hanging over the plan. One report said PPL Electric told county officials it may not have the capacity to power a data center in Gregg Township, adding another obstacle beyond zoning and noise. The project is not the first data-center idea at the site, either. A previous proposal at Great Stream Commons was canceled in 2025, including a 37-acre parcel tied to a $2.7 million purchase price. That history helps explain why supervisors are insisting on a fuller technical record before they move again.

What happens before July will show whether the proposal is truly advancing or just pausing. A real step forward would mean the township has the engineer’s noise review in hand, the hearing is reset to a firm July date, and the record is complete enough for supervisors to rule. If the date slips again, or if the technical filings remain thin, Gregg Township will still be waiting for the basic information it says it needs before making a decision with long-term consequences for Union County.