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Contested

Atlas Industrial / South Whitehall Data Center

South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County

Project Atlas would put a hyperscale data center campus on roughly 406 acres at 2493 North Cedar Crest Boulevard, directly across from Parkland High School, for a tenant that has not been named.

ContestedGreenfieldLV
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusUnder Review
Footprint5,038,100 sq ft
Site410 acres
First announced2026-01
Target onlineTBD

Five million square feet across the street from a high school

The number that mattersParkland Superintendent Mark Madson described the proposed footprint as roughly equivalent to ten Parkland High Schools, and wrote that the district finds the proposal unacceptable as presented.
Developer
CDC Acquisitions LLC, an affiliate of Edged Data Centers (Edged US)
Tenant
Undisclosed
Current stage
Under Planning Commission review. At the first public presentation on July 9, 2026 a township engineer said he does not recommend approval, and the commission is continuing its review pending additional information from the applicant.
Decision body
South Whitehall Township Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners
Top issues
Siting directly across from Parkland High School; up to 5.1 million square feet on more than 400 acres; a dedicated substation and backup diesel generators; traffic on Cedar Crest Boulevard; the demand for a hearing with cross-examination; an undisclosed end user
Key opponents
South Whitehall Civic Alliance, represented by counsel; Parkland School District administration; residents including Cheryl Lutz, Evan Sandercock and Greg Sussman; Food & Water Watch
Key supporters
The developer’s projections of roughly $9 billion in investment and more than $16 million in annual tax revenue, including about $11.5 million to Parkland schools

Proposal became public in spring 2026. The Parkland School District wrote its objection letter May 5 and discussed the project at a May 12 board workshop. The first Planning Commission presentation on July 9 2026 drew a standing-room-only crowd to Springhouse Middle School, where a township engineer said he does not recommend approval and the South Whitehall Civic Alliance asked for a formal hearing process with cross-examination.

What is at stake

Documented community impacts

Traffic

High

LVPC traffic study projects ~4,000 weekday trips (371 new AM-peak) for the ~5M sq ft campus across from Parkland High School; recommended noise <55 dB.

WFMZ-TV

Public safety

High

The campus is proposed directly across from Parkland High School. The district superintendent wrote that the proposal is unacceptable as presented and described a footprint roughly equivalent to ten Parkland High Schools.

Lehigh Daily

Noise and vibration

High

Residents cite noise and around-the-clock operation among their central objections to a hyperscale campus sited across from a school and near homes.

The Morning Call

Air quality

High

Presentation materials include backup diesel generators alongside a dedicated electric substation on a site of more than 400 acres.

Lehigh Daily

Energy costs and the grid

High

A campus of this scale with its own substation adds major load in the PPL service territory, in a region where rising electricity prices have become a central political issue.

CNBC

Traffic

Medium

A new road is proposed connecting Cedar Crest Boulevard with Mauch Chunk Road. The applicant’s engineer told the commission the project is not generating traffic, a claim residents dispute; earlier materials referenced thousands of additional daily vehicle trips.

Lehigh Valley Public Media

Water

Medium

The applicant’s attorney told the commission the project does not use any additional water from the local supply. Residents have asked for that claim to be tested through a formal hearing with cross-examination.

Lehigh Valley Public Media

Property values

Medium

Residents including Cheryl Lutz have said publicly they worry the campus would make nearby homes difficult to sell.

CNBC

Jobs and tax claims

Low

The developer projects roughly $9 billion in investment and more than $16 million in annual tax revenue, including about $11.5 million to the Parkland School District. Permanent staffing at hyperscale campuses is typically small relative to footprint.

Lehigh Valley Public Media
Community response

Who is organizing against it

South Whitehall Civic Alliance

Township · Founded 2026

Leaders: Resident organizers including Evan Sandercock and Greg Sussman; represented by attorneys Jason Aldrich and Jason Ulrich

Tactics: Community fundraising to retain land-use counsel for the whole township, a formal demand for a hearing process with cross-examination and resident expert testimony, packing planning commission meetings, and coordinating with Parkland School District concerns

The Alliance describes itself as representing the people of South Whitehall rather than showing up as an angry mob, and is raising money so residents can be represented by attorneys at the table. Parkland Superintendent Mark Madson has separately written that the district finds the proposal unacceptable as presented.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2026-05-05Superintendent Mark Madson writes to the township manager, the Lehigh County Authority, PPL Electric Utilities and the developer: "Based on what is proposed, we find the proposal to be unacceptable" Lehigh Daily
  • 2026-05-12District workshop reviews the proposal; Madson describes a footprint roughly equivalent to ten Parkland High Schools and residents urge the board to take a stronger public stance Lehigh Daily
  • 2026-07-09First public presentation of Project Atlas draws a standing-room-only crowd to Springhouse Middle School for a nearly three-hour session; a township engineer says he does not recommend approval, and residents cheer Lehigh Valley Public Media
  • 2026-07-09Alliance attorneys ask the township for a formal hearing process that would let residents’ experts question the developer’s witnesses and present testimony; no action is taken Lehigh Valley Press
  • 2026-07-14An executive is "no longer involved" with Project Atlas after residents publicize offensive text messages sent during the planning commission meeting, according to the developer Lehigh Valley Public Media
Legal record

Filings and legal actions

  • 2026-05
    Land development plan South Whitehall Township Planning Commission · n/a

    Land development application for a hyperscale data center campus on roughly 406 to 410 acres at 2493 North Cedar Crest Boulevard. Township staff and consultants are continuing review, and numerous ordinance requirements remain to be addressed before the commission considers a recommendation.

    CDC Acquisitions LLC, an affiliate of Edged Data Centers (Edged US) · Under review
  • 2026-07-09
    Request for formal hearing South Whitehall Township · n/a

    The Alliance, through counsel, asked the township to convene a formal hearing process allowing residents to question the developer’s witnesses under oath and present expert testimony of their own. No action was taken at the July 9 meeting.

    South Whitehall Civic Alliance · Pending
News

Coverage of this project

Sources

Know your rights

In Pennsylvania, a data center on industrial land usually needs a special exception or conditional use, decided by a local Zoning Hearing Board after a public, quasi-judicial hearing. Neighbors can request party status, cross-examine witnesses, and build an evidentiary record. Municipalities can also write data-center ordinances with enforceable standards.

Know your rights →

Take action

Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and ask your municipality for a moratorium and a real ordinance.

How communities push back →