Massive data center proposed in Butler County

FORWARD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A massive 1-million-square-foot data center could be built in Forward Township, Butler County.

“To be honest with you, I was a little bit upset,” said one woman who lives and camps nearby.

She found out last week the old Misty Hollow Farmland on Prospect Road could become a data center.

“I’ve heard that this data center is going to be eight stories high. I mean, I can’t believe it,” she said.

That woman didn’t want to be on camera but said she and her family camp in the area, and her grandson lives less than a mile from the property.

“A lot of people come out here and go camping in the summertime, and a lot of people use the Connoquenessing Creek to go kayaking. I mean, they’re just going to destroy everything,” she said.

The initial proposal is going to be presented to the Forward Township Planning Commission Thursday night during their meeting at 7 p.m.

The township manager told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek that the land is owned by 614 Prospect LLC for the purpose of building this data center, which is bigger than 17 football fields. He said the proposal includes its own gas-powered generation facility, an office building that’s about the size of four basketball courts, a smaller security building, and a wastewater treatment facility, along with parking and stormwater management.

The neighbor we spoke to said she’s worried about what could happen to wildlife.

“The cranes, deer, not to mention all the small animals,” she said. There’s a lot of birds that nest here."

She’s also worried about the noise the data center will make.

“These data centers run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There’s people that live in this area that work every day, how are they supposed to get any rest,” she said.

If the data center gets final approval, it could be built by mid-2029.

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