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Withdrawn / Denied

North Coventry Pre-emptive Rejection

North Coventry Township, Chester County

North Coventry's supervisors turned away an informal data center pitch in February 2026 and are drafting an ordinance to decide where one could go.

Withdrawn / DeniedMid-sizeTBD/UndisclosedN/ASE
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusDenied
Building area120,000 sq ft
Site17 acres
Permanent jobs, as claimed6
First announced2026-01-29

Rejected before it was filed, and now writing its own rules

The number that mattersThe township commissioned a study, estimated at $4,000, that found about 250 acres in neighboring Douglass Township suitable for data centers, backing its view that North Coventry may not need to provide for them under the regional plan (minutes, March 9 and April 13, 2026).
Developer
Envision Land Use Group, represented by attorney Denise Yarnoff of Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco. It sought informal feedback and never filed an application.
Tenant
No tenant or operator was disclosed; the pitch never became an application.
Current stage
No application. The supervisors voted 3-2 on February 23, 2026 to tell the developer the township wasn't interested in the site. A first draft data center ordinance went to the Planning Commission for discussion on September 16, 2026 and is still under review. Coverage of that meeting says it targets the industrial zone along the Schuylkill and requires closed-loop cooling; the township's fact sheet says the district hadn't been named in the draft. A separate proposal inside the vacant Coventry Mall was withdrawn October 6.
Decision body
North Coventry Township Board of Supervisors, after Planning Commission review of the draft ordinance
Top issues
Whether North Coventry must make room for data centers when Douglass Township, its regional planning partner, already does; water use, noise and generator emissions; distance from homes and schools
Key opponents
Residents who filled the February 2026 meetings (a supervisor thanked 24 speakers at the February 9 meeting); Vice-Chairman Scheler, who moved to reject the site; East Vincent Advocacy and State Sen. Katie Muth, who spoke February 23; anti-data center lawn signs
Key supporters
No organized supporters. The developer pitched a small, self-contained facility with six employees and closed-loop cooling. Two supervisors voted against the rejection motion, and Chairman Soumis worried it could be read as exclusionary.

How we got here

Inquiry reported January 29, 2026; public comment February 9; supervisors voted 3-2 on February 23 to tell the developer the township wasn't interested in the site; Douglass Township zoning study commissioned March 9 and received April 13; staff authorized to draft an ordinance May 11; curative amendment resolution died for lack of a motion June 8; draft ordinance discussed by the Planning Commission September 16, 2026.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Water

Low

The draft ordinance would require public water, bar groundwater or direct stream withdrawals as the main cooling source, and allow only closed-loop or air-cooled systems, with no cooling fluid discharged to sewers, stormwater or groundwater.

North Coventry Township

Air quality

Low

The draft ordinance would limit backup generator testing to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, cap non-emergency running at 50 hours a year, bar testing on days the Air Quality Index is unhealthy, and require 24 hours' public notice of tests.

North Coventry Township

Noise and vibration

Low

The draft ordinance would require baseline and post-construction noise and vibration studies, with violations fixed within 90 days of township notice.

North Coventry Township
Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2026-01-29The manager reports Envision Land Use Group's inquiry about a 120,000-square-foot 'boutique data center' at 299 W. Schuylkill Road. North Coventry Township
  • 2026-02-09Two dozen people comment on the pitch; the chairman says the Planning Commission has started work on a data center ordinance. North Coventry Township
  • 2026-02-23Supervisors vote 3-2 to reject Envision 'boutique' data center before formal submission Philadelphia Inquirer
  • 2026-04-13A township-commissioned study finds about 250 acres in Douglass Township suitable for data centers. North Coventry Township
  • 2026-05-11The board unanimously authorizes staff and consultants to prepare a data center ordinance. North Coventry Township
  • 2026-05-26The manager says the ordinance could take six months to a year; the board discusses Douglass Township's notice of withdrawal from the regional planning committee. North Coventry Township
  • 2026-06-08A resolution to invoke a curative amendment on data centers dies for lack of a motion. North Coventry Township
  • 2026-09-16First draft data center ordinance reviewed before more than 50 residents; it targets the industrial zone along the Schuylkill and requires closed-loop cooling The Mercury / Daily Local News
News

Coverage of this project

Sources

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 →