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Contested

Smithfield Gateway

Smithfield Township, Monroe County

Legend Properties (Phila. metro CRE firm).

ContestedLargeGreenfieldNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusApplication Filed
Footprint500,000 sq ft
First announced2025-10
Target onlineTBD

500,000 sq ft in Smithfield Township, Monroe County

The number that mattersLegend Properties (Phila.
Tenant
Undisclosed
Current stage
Application filed and under municipal review while the township runs a parallel curative amendment on data centers. 500,000 sq ft.
Decision body
Smithfield Township
Top issues
scale of the built footprint; undisclosed end user and project detail; land conversion; water use; noise and continuous operation; backup generation and air emissions

Legend Properties (Phila. metro CRE firm). Sketch-plan stage. 2 × 250,000 sq ft + substation. Township ordinance updated Oct 22 2025. 800+ signature opposition petition. Tenant TBD. Conditional-use application submitted April 2026 by DEPG Mosier Associates LP and DEPG of Shawnee II LP for two data center buildings (125,000 sq ft footprints each) and a power substation behind St. Luke's and Wawa; township engineer review issued and party-status application form posted June 2026; hearing must be scheduled within 60 days of receipt, with the township exploring larger venues for expected turnout. The township opened a municipal curative amendment on data centers by resolution May 6 2026, with adoption required by November 2 2026, and the Board of Supervisors held a packed public hearing on the draft ordinance at J.T. Lambert Intermediate School in mid August.

What is at stake

Documented community impacts

Environmental justice and site legacy

Medium

800+ signatures Better Path PA.

Community response

Who is organizing against it

Better Path Coalition

Statewide · 800+ signatures

Leaders: Ozge Feridun

Tactics: Coalition building, petitions, legislative advocacy

Engaged on Smithfield Gateway (P024) and statewide energy-justice issues.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2026-04-02Conditional-use application submitted for two data center buildings and a substation at Smithfield Gateway Smithfield Township
  • 2026-06-22Township posts engineer review and party-status application form; conditional-use hearing to be scheduled, larger venue under consideration Smithfield Township
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 →