SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — If you drive along Zediker Station Road in South Strabane Township, you’ll see dozens of yellow signs reading “No Data Centers.” Neighbors told Channel 11 they don’t want them anywhere near the area, as the township’s ordinance is out for public review.
Retired physician Fred Landenwitsch moved to Western Pennsylvania in the 1980s for his residency at Washington Hospital. He’s lived in his house in South Strabane for 34 years. But several months ago, a conversation with a neighbor left him feeling uneasy.
“He told me data centers might be coming here. My first question was ‘What’s a data center?’” Landenwitsch said.
Since then, Landenwitsch says he’s done his research and recently attended the township’s planning commission meeting, with a data center ordinance on the agenda.
“First of all, we’re concerned, really, about changing the character of the community here,” Landenwitsch said. “I’m concerned about electricity rates going up, water rates going up, noise, light…”
South Strabane Township manager Peter Stefansky told Channel 11 there are currently no active applications for a data center within the municipality. He said that discussions surrounding an ordinance began several months ago, before any indication that the Zediker Station property was a potential location.
This week, local nonprofit Allegheny Conference on Community Development released its economic impact analysis for a hypothetical data center on Zediker Station Road. The study said it would result in $552 million in total economic output, support 2,364 jobs and bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue. We took the report to county commissioners.
“It’s really just not fair to the residents to put that in there. It does deserve development, but not that type of development,” Commissioner Electra Janis said.
Janis said while she isn’t against a data center coming to Washington County, she doesn’t think Zediker Station is the place for it. She believes that those jobs and tax revenue could still come to fruition with a data center somewhere else.
“Starpoint, for example, is a perfect location. It’s already industrial. There’s a lot of area in Robinson Township, Washington County, as well,” Janis said.
The draft of the data center ordinance is on the agenda for Thursday night’s South Strabane planning commission meeting. It starts at 7 p.m. Stefansky said the planning commission can decide to take action to recommend additional changes to the board of supervisors or a recommendation of approval. The next step will be a public hearing, where people can present their concerns regarding the ordinances.
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