Project Overview
A proposed data center campus in Lower Mount Bethel Township centered around Depues Ferry Road south of Martins Creek Belvidere Highway and consolidated near existing power plants
Revised plan incorporates community feedback with a targeted approach, reduced footprint, and preservation of 350 acres of farmland
Proposal reduces water usage by relying on advanced closed-loop cooling systems that do not draw from local groundwater or the Delaware River for cooling
Plan seeks to protect electricity customers by paying its own way for energy, and will use advanced technology to prevent light and noise pollution
Additional Details
Project developers have listened closely to the feedback from local residents and made meaningful changes to the proposal to reflect their priorities for maintaining the rural and agricultural character of the community.
The revised proposal:
- Reduces the proposed campus footprint and keeping it south of Martins Creek Belvidere Highway, next to the existing power plants and centered around Depues Ferry Road
- Preserves 350 acres of farmland, more than three acres preserved for every one acre of currently farmed land proposed for rezoning
- Incorporates closed-loop cooling technology to protect water resources
As part of the revised proposal, the development team has filed a map amendment application seeking to rezone approximately 239 acres to industrial use adjacent to the existing industrial zone.
The proposed rezoning area includes:
- Approximately 100 currently farmed acres on land that is already envisioned for future electric utility use,
- Approximately 102 acres comprising the existing quarry property
- The remaining acreage consisting of currently undeveloped land.
Approximately 350 acres of agricultural land controlled by project developers along Gravel Hill Road that was originally envisioned for the project is no longer included in the proposed campus. Instead, project developers will work with township and county officials to ensure those currently farmed acres remain in agricultural use.
This means that for every acre of currently farmed land included in the proposed rezoning, more than three acres of agricultural land would be preserved, representing a more targeted proposal that responds directly to residents’ concerns.
The proposal includes the redevelopment of the existing quarry as part of the project footprint, making productive use of property that, while currently zoned agricultural, has historically functioned as an industrial use.
The Lower Mount Bethel Technology Center is expected to deliver long-term economic benefits without burdening local taxpayers, including:
- Significant new annual revenue for the township and school district.
- Job opportunities during construction and operations.
- Contracting opportunities for local businesses and trades.
- Private investment in local infrastructure.
- A community benefits agreement developed with the township to address local priorities such as roads, bridges, public safety, local infrastructure, and other community investments identified in partnership with the township.
The project will protect local electricity customers by paying its own way for energy and ensuring all power-related infrastructure upgrades are fully funded by the developer, not residents.
Our goal is to develop a state of the art data center that minimizes the need for water and prevents any impact on the water resources that residents of Lower Mount Bethel depend on. The project will use advanced, water-efficient cooling technology, including closed-loop systems that do not draw from groundwater or river water for cooling. These systems are initially filled via water trucked onto the site and then that water is continuously recirculated within a closed system.
Ongoing noise from data center technology is comparable to typical household levels, at decibels similar to a refrigerator or an everyday conversation. The proposal also envisions noise mitigation techniques, such as sound walls, active noise cancellation, screening and landscape buffering, to reduce noise spillover.
The project is also designed to use dark-sky-compliant lighting wherever possible to prevent light spill and preserve night-sky visibility. Lighting plans and fixture standards would be addressed through design and approvals to minimize visual impact and maintain the area’s rural feel.
A data center is a secure facility that houses computing infrastructure—servers, storage systems, and networking equipment—that powers essential digital services, including phones, computers, TVs, communications, healthcare systems , banking, communications, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.