Middlesex Township (near Carlisle), Cumberland County
A campus of 16 to 18 data center buildings on about 700 acres off Country Club Road in Middlesex Township, Cumberland County, which the developers say will start at 1.35 gigawatts and can grow to 1.8 gigawatts.
The overlay amendment was submitted to Cumberland County in April 2025 and adopted 3-0 on May 30, 2025 as Ordinance 3-2025. Sen. Dave McCormick announced the $15 billion, three-campus project at his July 15, 2025 energy summit, and PennLive reported a $44 million land purchase later that month. The Planning Commission recommended the subdivision plan in December 2025 and supervisors approved it in early January 2026. In January 2026 the State Historic Preservation Office found the project would harm the Appalachian Trail viewshed. In February 2026 the developer signed a $14.1 million water and sewer deal reserving up to 400,000 gallons a day, and on March 4 supervisors approved the PPL substation plan. Blasting and site work began that spring. Residents filed a spot-zoning challenge in May 2026. An overflow crowd on August 5 and a medical emergency on August 19 forced the final vote to be postponed, and a supervisor resigned in late August. On September 2, 2026 the two remaining supervisors approved the community benefits agreement, the Phase 1-B final plan and the Phase 3 preliminary plan. Judge Matthew Smith let construction continue on September 22 and, on October 5, ruled the automatic stay doesn't apply but set a November 13 hearing.
About 532 diesel backup generators have been represented for the full campus, the project's engineer confirmed at the May 11, 2026 Planning Commission meeting, including about 40 per building and about 200 in Phase 2 alone. Monthly testing schedules and refueling plans were still being worked out.
Middlesex TownshipOrdinance 3-2025 allows data center noise of up to 70 dBA, measured at the property line.
Middlesex Township (copy posted by Stop PAX-1)The State Historic Preservation Office found in January 2026 that the campus will have an adverse effect on the Appalachian Trail viewshed and asked for a dense evergreen screening plan to limit views of the campus from the trail.
Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation OfficeShapiro administration officials said in September 2026 that, under the governor's August executive order, PAX-1 must provide and pay for its own power so it doesn't raise rates for other customers, and that it still lacks state air quality and storage tank permits.
ABC27Water and sewer service come from the Middlesex Township Municipal Authority, which reserved up to 400,000 gallons a day for the campus.
Middlesex TownshipThe developer's noise study estimates campus noise of about 55 dBA against existing background of about 45 dBA, the developer's attorney told the Planning Commission; residents raised low-frequency noise, which the township's ordinance does not specifically address.
Middlesex TownshipThe Middlesex Township Municipal Authority reserved up to 400,000 gallons a day for the campus, and a Planning Commission member estimated the planned on-site tanks could hold about 40 million gallons. Another Planning Commission member said the township system has about 2 million gallons a day of supply and uses about 1 million; the developer says no on-site wells will be drilled and no water will be taken from the Conodoguinet Creek.
Middlesex TownshipResidents told WITF that blasting for site work has gone on since March 2026, and township Planning Commission minutes note the blasting permit allows blasting between sunrise and sunset with no set notice process for neighbors.
WITFThe developer projects about 450 jobs at full build-out, or 25 to 40 workers per building, and more than $65 million a year in local taxes; neither figure has been independently checked.
Government Technology / The SentinelLeaders: Kyle Gerber (co-leader); Andrew Dymski (press contact)
Tactics: Two county court appeals and an Environmental Hearing Board appeal through attorney Nathan Wolf; packed township meetings; public records research; a 'check our math' fact page.
The group's site reported 2,746 petition signers and $52,202 raised toward a $100,000 legal fund in October 2026.
Leaders: John Werner (organizer, per WITF and Spotlight PA)
Tactics: Project timeline and document library for PAX-1, and a voter pledge not to support candidates who back data center development.
Runs the padatacenters.org PAX-1 tracker.
Residents ask the court to overturn the supervisors' plan approvals. The court quashed the appeal as to the final subdivision and Phase 1-A final approvals, denied a stay without prejudice, and said the residents had not shown a strong likelihood of winning.
Middlesex Township residents (Stop PAX-1 members) v. Middlesex Township Board of Supervisors; Carlisle Development Partners, LLC, intervenor · Partly quashed September 22, 2026; challenge to the Phase 1-B preliminary approval continues. Appellants' brief due November 2, 2026; oral argument January 12, 2027.Residents first filed this spot-zoning challenge with the Zoning Hearing Board in May 2026. The board never scheduled a hearing, so it moved to county court, where residents argue all work should have stopped once the challenge was filed.
Middlesex Township residents (Stop PAX-1 members) v. Middlesex Township Zoning Hearing Board; Board of Supervisors and Carlisle Development Partners, LLC, intervenors. Nathan Wolf represents the appellants; the order was also sent to attorneys Jennifer B. Hipp, Shawn Gallagher and Gregg I. Adelman. · Pending. October 5, 2026 order: mandatory stay does not apply; responses due October 30; evidentiary hearing November 13, 2026 at 2 p.m. on a discretionary stay and whether the appeal is frivolous.Residents ask the board to revoke the Chapter 102 erosion and stormwater (NPDES) permit for the first phases, arguing it was issued without public comment.
Stop PAX-1 residents v. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (permittee: Carlisle Development Partners) · Pending; Stop PAX-1 says discovery closes February 10, 2027.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 →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 →