Withdrawn / Denied

Coventry Mall Data Center (Shoppes at Coventry)

North Coventry Township, Chester County

A proposal to fit an 85,987-square-foot data center inside the vacant Coventry Mall, opposed by North Coventry's supervisors and withdrawn on October 6, 2026.

Withdrawn / DeniedSmallTBD/UndisclosedBrownfieldSE

At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusWithdrawn

Building area85,987 sq ft

Site53.31 acres

First announced2026-08-13

A data center inside a vacant mall, withdrawn before its hearing

The number that mattersThe applicant argued an 85,987-square-foot data center counts as a 'public service facility,' which the township code defines as utility lines, pipes, pumping stations, telephone exchanges and similar utility structures; the zoning officer said it doesn't qualify.

Developer: PennMark Management Company, Inc. of Plymouth Meeting and its affiliates PGOB Coventry Holdings LLC and PR Coventry Holdings LLC, which own the mall; represented by attorney Craig R. Lewis of Kaplin Stewart
Tenant: No tenant or operator was named in the application.
Current stage: Withdrawn October 6, 2026. The Zoning Hearing Board's October 22 hearing was canceled; the board still meets that night on an unrelated application.
Decision body: North Coventry Township Zoning Hearing Board
Top issues: A data center classified as a public service facility in a commercial district; an application the zoning officer found deficient; noise, wells and sewer discharges raised by residents
Key opponents: North Coventry Board of Supervisors (voted unanimously August 24 to oppose and send the solicitor); about two dozen residents who spoke against it August 24; State Sen. Katie Muth
Key supporters: No one spoke in support at the August 24, 2026 supervisors' meeting, according to the minutes.

How we got here

Concept plan dated May 21; application filed August 13; hearing deadlines waived August 20; zoning officer found the use not permitted and the application deficient August 21; supervisors voted unanimously to oppose August 24; hearing set for October 22; withdrawn by letter October 6, 2026.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Traffic

Low

The zoning officer said a traffic impact study and a community facilities impact study were required because the site is 10 acres or more, and neither was submitted.

LTL Consultants for North Coventry Township

Water

Low

Residents at the August 24 supervisors' meeting raised concerns about surrounding wells and data center discharges into the sewer system.

North Coventry Township

Timeline

How it has unfolded

2026-08-13Special exception application filed for a data center inside the vacant mall The Mercury
2026-08-20The applicant waives the deadlines for starting a hearing and asks the township not to schedule one yet. Kaplin Stewart
2026-08-21Zoning officer finds the use not permitted and the application deficient The Mercury
2026-08-24Supervisors vote unanimously to recommend denial and send the solicitor to oppose the application The Mercury
2026-09-28The manager's report lists the PennMark zoning hearing for October 22, 2026 at the Norco Fire Company. North Coventry Township
2026-10-06Application withdrawn by letter; the Oct 22 Zoning Hearing Board hearing is canceled The Mercury
2026-10-07The township posts that the October 22 hearing is canceled because the applicant withdrew. North Coventry Township

Legal record

Filings and legal actions

2026-08-13
Special exception application (public service facility) North Coventry Township Zoning Hearing Board · Zoning Hearing Board No. 2026-08
Sought approval to put an 85,987-square-foot data center in part of the Coventry Mall under Section 370-21.B(2)(e) of the zoning ordinance.
PGOB Coventry Holdings LLC and Pennmark Management Company, Inc. (applicants); North Coventry Township Board of Supervisors (opposed) · Withdrawn October 6, 2026; October 22 hearing canceled

News

Coverage of this project

2026-10-10 MyChesCoCoventry Mall Data Center Plan Withdrawn Amid Zoning DisputeWithdrawal
2026-10-08 The MercuryPlan for data center in Coventry Mall withdrawnWithdrawn Oct 6
2026-08-25 The MercuryNorth Coventry supervisors oppose data center planUnanimous opposition
2026-08-21 The MercurySmall-scale data center eyed for Coventry Mall in North CoventryThe proposal

Sources

Small-scale data center eyed for Coventry Mall in North Coventry The Mercury · 2026-08-21
Letter to North Coventry granting waiver of MPC timeframes Kaplin Stewart · 2026-08-20
North Coventry supervisors oppose data center plan The Mercury · 2026-08-25
Manager Report, September 28, 2026 North Coventry Township · 2026-09-28
Plan for data center in Coventry Mall withdrawn The Mercury · 2026-10-08
PennMark Data Center Concept Zoning Hearing 10/22 7PM, CANCELLED (notice and application materials) North Coventry Township · 2026-10-07
351 W. Schuylkill Rd special exception application review (zoning officer letter) LTL Consultants for North Coventry Township · 2026-08-21
Board of Supervisors minutes, August 24, 2026 North Coventry Township · 2026-08-24

Know your rights

In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt 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 press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.

How communities push back →