Speculative

Union Township Data Center (Trough Creek Valley Pike, Huntingdon County)

Union Township, Huntingdon County

A data center has been proposed for land along Route 829 in Union Township, Huntingdon County, but no applicant, plans or filing are public, and the township is drafting rules while residents push back.

SpeculativeTBD/UndisclosedN Central

At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusSpeculative / Exploratory

First announced2026-09-29

Texas landowner's data center idea for Trough Creek Valley meets packed meetings in Union Township

The number that mattersUnion Township has no zoning ordinance, and the chairman of its supervisors told the Daily News, "We can't stop him."

Developer: Not named. Reporting describes the proposal as coming from a landowner from Texas; the Daily News links the land to Lancer Resources LP's earlier Raystown Lake resort plan, but no source names a data center applicant.
Tenant: None. A representative of the landowner said in October 2026 that no buyer has been selected.
Current stage: No plans or application have been reported. The township has no zoning ordinance and is drafting an ordinance amendment to regulate data centers. The supervisors voted on October 20 to schedule another public meeting in early November, and their next regular meeting is November 3, 2026.
Decision body: Union Township Board of Supervisors (Huntingdon County)
Top issues: No zoning in the township, water supply, the electric grid, light and noise, roads and construction traffic, property values, and residents learning about the plan late.
Key opponents: Save Trough Creek Valley
Key supporters: Supervisors' chairman Robert Freeman told the Daily News that in his opinion the project seems like a good thing.

How we got here

2017: the Army Corps of Engineers rejects Lancer Resources LP's resort and marina plan at Hawn's Bridge on Raystown Lake. August 11, 2026: a meeting about the proposal attended by staff for U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, state Senator Judy Ward and state Representative Rick Irvin, plus county commissioners, as described by a speaker at the October 13 commissioners' meeting. September 29, 2026: the Daily News reports the proposal. October 13, 2026: Huntingdon County commissioners' motion to send a draft county data center land development ordinance for review fails. October 15, 2026: packed meeting at the Trough Creek Valley Fire Hall; no vote taken. October 20, 2026: supervisors' meeting; residents ask for a moratorium, officials say an ordinance amendment is in the works, and the board votes to schedule another public meeting in early November. October 24, 2026: Save Trough Creek Valley holds an educational session on zoning.

Community response

Who is organizing against it

Save Trough Creek Valley

Timeline

How it has unfolded

2017-04-21The Corps rejected Lancer Resources LP's resort and marina plan at Raystown Lake as inconsistent with the lake's master plan. Altoona Mirror
2026-08-11A meeting on the proposal was attended by staff for Senator McCormick, Senator Ward and Representative Irvin and by commissioners, according to a speaker at the October 13 commissioners' meeting. The Daily News (Huntingdon)
2026-09-29The Daily News reported the data center proposal along Trough Creek Valley Pike, and the supervisors' chairman said he hadn't seen a layout. The Daily News (Huntingdon)
2026-10-13A motion to send a draft county land development ordinance covering data centers for review failed on a 1 to 1 vote. The Daily News (Huntingdon)
2026-10-15Residents packed the Trough Creek Valley Fire Hall to question supervisors; no vote was taken and the landowner's representative said no buyer has been chosen. WJAC
2026-10-20At the supervisors' meeting officials said a moratorium isn't legally possible, described an ordinance amendment in progress, and the board voted to schedule another public meeting in early November. WJAC
2026-10-24The opposition group held an educational session on zoning. WJAC

News

Coverage of this project

2026-10-25 WJACUnion Township residents push for zoning ordinance in dispute over proposed data centerCovers Save Trough Creek Valley's zoning session and notes the township's ordinance is pending review.
2026-10-21 WJACUnion Township community voices concerns over handling of data center proposalCovers the October 20 supervisors' meeting, the moratorium request and the ordinance amendment in progress.
2026-10-16 WJACUnion Township residents press for answers on proposed Huntingdon County data center projectCovers the packed October 15 fire hall meeting, where the landowner's representative said no buyer has been chosen.
2026-10-14 The Daily News (Huntingdon)Residents voice data center concernsResidents and the new Save Trough Creek Valley group address county commissioners, and a motion on a county ordinance fails.
2026-09-29 The Daily News (Huntingdon)Data center proposed in Union TownshipFirst report of the proposal, with the supervisors' chairman saying the township has no data center ordinance and can't stop the project.

Sources

Corps rejects resort proposal at Raystown Lake Altoona Mirror · 2017-04-22
Residents voice data center concerns The Daily News (Huntingdon) · 2026-10-14
Data center proposed in Union Township The Daily News (Huntingdon) · 2026-09-29
Union Township residents press for answers on proposed Huntingdon County data center project WJAC · 2026-10-16
Union Township community voices concerns over handling of data center proposal WJAC · 2026-10-21
Union Township residents push for zoning ordinance in dispute over proposed data center WJAC · 2026-10-25

Land along Trough Creek Valley Pike (State Route 829) in the Trough Creek Valley section of Union Township, Huntingdon County. The Daily News reports the parcel runs on both sides of Route 829. No address or parcel number has been published.

Open in maps →

Union Township Board of Supervisors regular meeting, Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 7 p.m., with a separate public meeting on the ordinance expected in early November.

Official notice →

Checked November 2, 2026

Follow the money

Public records we’ve found don’t name a backer we can confirm. Know who it is?

Developer / operators

Not named. Reporting describes the proposal as coming from a landowner from Texas; the Daily News links the land to Lancer Resources LP's earlier Raystown Lake resort plan, but no source names a data center applicant.

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 →