SPRINGDALE, Pa. — Dozens of people rallied outside Springdale’s borough building Wednesday, urging Allegheny County to deny a land development application for a proposed data center at the former Cheswick Power Plant site.
Inside, county officials and representatives for Allegheny DC Property Co. discussed concerns identified during an initial review as representatives for the developer outlined changes they said address the issues.
The county’s initial review flagged 97 concerns with the application submitted by Springdale Borough, finding it did not meet county standards.
“I can’t believe that an application would’ve been submitted with some of the problems on it that they have,” Springdale resident Cathy Majer said.
One issue discussed involved access to a historic cemetery at the former power plant site.
“They’re going to put a new road in, move the headstones to the end of the gravesite area, and we’re fine with that,” Springdale resident Al Wegler said.
During Wednesday’s public hearing, representatives for Allegheny DC Property Co. described revisions to the proposal.
Anna Skipper Jewart, an attorney for the developer focusing on zoning and land development, said generators originally proposed for the roof would instead be stacked at ground level.
She said testing would take place only during business hours and not during holidays or evenings.
Exact scheduling of testing, she added, depends on the exact generator type and how often it’s required to be tested.
Jewart said the company believes revised plans submitted Oct. 26 address the changes needed for preliminary approval.
But residents continued to raise questions about noise and air quality during public comment. Opponents said they want the county to reject the application altogether.
The county now has 90 days to approve the preliminary plan, approve it with conditions or deny it.
The deadline for the public to submit written comments to the county is Nov. 30.
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