We, the undersigned residents of South Whitehall Township, neighboring communities in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and concerned citizens, formally demand that the South Whitehall Township Planning Commission, Board of Commissioners, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, and all other relevant authorities reject the proposed Atlas Hyperscale Data Center Campus (Project Atlas) at 2493 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard. This massive 410-acre development featuring six buildings totaling over 5 million square feet poses significant threats to our community's well-being.

Reasons for Rejection
This hyperscale data center is incompatible with our township and must be rejected for the following critical reasons:

• Dangerous Proximity to Schools and Homes — The proposed 410-acre campus, with six massive buildings totaling over 5 million square feet, is sited directly across from Parkland High School at 2493 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard. This places thousands of students, educators, and nearby residential families in close range of industrial-scale operations, including constant noise from cooling systems, heavy truck traffic, diesel generator emissions, visual blight from towering structures, and heightened safety risks in an otherwise family-oriented, suburban neighborhood. 

• Health and Quality-of-Life Risks - Hyperscale data centers produce persistent noise from fans and cooling equipment, heat exhaust, air pollution from frequent backup generator testing and use. These ongoing disturbances threaten residents' physical and mental well-being—particularly children, the elderly, and those with health conditions—while degrading daily life through sleep disruption, stress, and reduced outdoor enjoyment, with no direct benefits to the local community.

• Increasing Utility Costs and Potential Watershed Disruption — The project would impose demands on electricity equivalent to ~300,000 homes. Other areas where data centers have been built have seen utilty cost increases of up to 267% over 5 years attributable directly to the data center power consumption. Such high consumption strains the regional power grid risking higher electric rates for township residents and businesses. The scale of the excavation necessary for the project could disrupt local watersheds through altered stormwater runoff and long-term pressure on aquifers and surface water in a region already facing drought and resource concerns.

• Minimal Community Benefits — While short-term construction jobs may be created, the completed facility is expected to offer only a small number of permanent positions. The majority of support roles will be managed by remote employees.. The project primarily serves distant corporations and tech giants, delivers limited economic returns to South Whitehall Township. 

• Irreversible Harm to Agricultural Areas and Township Character — The development would permanently convert 410 acres of currently undeveloped agricultural and open land into an industrial mega-complex, resulting in deforestation, loss of farmland, habitat destruction for local wildlife, and increased flood and erosion risks. This would forever alter South Whitehall Township's cherished rural-suburban character—known for its residential neighborhoods, parks, natural beauty, and agricultural heritage—while depressing nearby property values and paving the way for additional incompatible large-scale industrial projects across the Lehigh Valley.

Our Demand
We reject conditional approvals, studies, or mitigations as insufficient. We demand that township and regional authorities fully reject the Atlas Industrial data center proposal and deny all related permits, preliminary plans, zoning variances, or approvals.

Sign this petition today to demonstrate your opposition to this development project. Your signature will strengthen our voice at future Planning Commission meetings, Board of Commissioners sessions, and any rescheduled reviews. Together, we can prevent this inappropriate industrial project and preserve South Whitehall Township for residents and future generations.

Sign now! Reject Atlas! Protect our township!

Get Educated / Get Involved
 https://OpposeAtlasDC.com/