The Pennhurst property is a place of deep historical and environmental importance in our region. Right now there is a proposal to sell this land for large-scale data center development. While we respect the rights of the property owner we believe this decision would bring lasting harm to our community and future generations.

Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, increase truck traffic and noise and diminish the natural beauty that so many people enjoy through nearby trails and open spaces. Once the land is cleared and industrialized it can never be restored.

The Pennhurst property also borders private homes, the Southeastern Veterans Center and the Schuylkill River Trail. Protecting this land means preserving a peaceful environment for residents and veterans and safeguarding the trail experience for thousands of walkers, runners and cyclists who use it year-round.

We call on our local leaders, community members and the property owner to work together toward a solution that preserves the Pennhurst property, honors its history and protects the environment and quality of life for all who live, work and visit here.

By signing this petition you are adding your voice to the call to protect Pennhurst and ensure it remains a place of history, healing, nature and community.

Additional Details: 

For more context, the Pennhurst site is zoned for Mixed Use Industrial development, which means a data center is already considered an allowed use. Because of that zoning, East Vincent Township does not have the authority to block the project outright.

In response the township is drafting a new ordinance to establish guardrails and restrictions on data center development within East Vincent. The goal is to regulate where and how these facilities can be built and to address community concerns such as:

Noise and emissions from backup generators and cooling systems
Resource consumption including heavy electricity and water use
Traffic and site impact from trucks construction and ongoing operations
Environmental and community character impacts from large industrial buildings

(The image shown above is the current "data center sketch plan" submitted to the township.)

This means that while the township cannot stop Pennhurst’s owners from selling to a developer it is working to limit negative impacts by strengthening its code and setting clearer standards for any future data center builds.

3/11/26 Update: DONATIONS NEEDED FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE https://www.evtadvocacy.org/donate

Defending our Community & Defeating Pennhurst Data Center
 Monday night, the future of the historic Pennhurst campus enters a critical phase. Our community must be ready to stand up —
in the hearings and in the courts.

Date: Monday, March 16
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: East Vincent Elementary School, 340 Ridge Rd, Spring City
 
 
Two Futures for Pennhurst  - What do you choose?
Future 1
Build the 1.4 million sq. foot Hyperscale Data Center with accompanying heavy industrial uses and the Pennhurst Campus is Completely Demolished.

 
A 550 mw gas fired power plant is planned to replace the Administration building.
 
The current site plan for the 1.4 million sf data center buildings. Complete demolition of the historic campus to construct:
1.4-million-square-foot hyperscale data center complex
550-MW gas-fired power plant
160 backup generators
An industrial energy facility producing emissions, industrial noise, and enormous energy and water demand that will affect communities, wildlife, and natural resources within a five-mile radius of the Pennhurst campus.
 
Future 2
Pennhurst Campus Preserved and Repurposed
A nationally significant historic campus and a powerful symbol of civil rights history -
preserved, restored, and thoughtfully reused for future generations that is compatible with surrounding neighborhoods and the National Schuylkill Heritage Corridor. 

 
Pennhurst Administration Building and the Campus can be adaptively reused.

The Conditional Use Hearings will begin for the proposed 1.4 million square foot (sf) Pennhurst hyperscale data center complex and the proposed 550‑MW gas‑powered power plant as well as up to 160 backup generators planned for the 123-acre historic Pennhurst campus.

If approved, this project would significantly and irreversibly harm our township residents, the veterans who live and receive care at the Southeastern Veterans Center, and the surrounding communities within the five‑mile impact area.

The scale of this proposal — including a utility‑scale gas power plant, multiple industrial buildings, and hundreds of backup generators — would introduce industrial impacts never before experienced in our rural region.

This is not a typical public meeting.

✅ Conditional Use Hearings function much like courtroom proceedings where sworn testimony and evidence become part of the legal record. That record often becomes the basis for appeals in the courts, where major land‑use decisions are frequently decided.

✅ East Vincent Advocacy (EVA) will stand with the community: Just as we did in the Artisan Construction Group plan known as the Bechtel Farm at Stony Run case, East Vincent Advocacy will request Party Status to defend the rights of our citizens, protect our neighborhoods, and uphold the integrity of our community to defeat Data Centers at Pennhurst.

Here is the reality

✅This case is very likely to be appealed in the courts, and only licensed attorneys are permitted to argue those cases before a judge. Without experienced legal representation now, our community cannot ensure that the evidence and testimony needed for those appeals are properly entered into the record.
✅ For the past six years, East Vincent Advocacy has worked tirelessly to protect our residents, the rural character, environmental resources, and historic heritage of our township. We have:
Researched zoning law
Engaged planning experts
Organized community outreach
Successfully defended EV in Zoning and Conditional Use Hearings as well as the Chester County Court of Common Pleas and in the Commonwealth Courts of PA.
Helped bring new ideas, fresh energy, and a renewed focus on accountability and transparency to township matters.
Brought together residents who care deeply about East Vincent’s future.
Because of this work, the Pennhurst proposal is now receiving the scrutiny it deserves, including the unanimous recommendation of denial from the East Vincent Planning Commission.
 
But the work is far from over.
This is a defining moment for East Vincent
 What we allow at Pennhurst will shape our residents quality of life, our landscape and natural resources, and our sense of community for generations.
Our Community’s Voice
Depends on Legal Representation

East Vincent Advocacy (EVA) is over 1,000 strong as a community organization. If our community works together, even small contributions can ensure we have the legal representation needed to defend East Vincent.
 Be sure to Sign our Petition
to be legally represented as part of our Group Party Status.

Fundraising Appeal

Many of your neighbors have already stepped forward and donated to the EVA Legal Defense Fund. The momentum is growing — and every additional contribution helps ensure we can sustain this fight to defeat this plan through the hearings and into the courts if necessary.
 
What Your Donation Supports
Just 10 neighbors contributing $100 can fund the legal preparation needed for one hearing. That preparation costs approximately $1,000 and covers legal strategy development, document review, and preparation to challenge the developer’s experts.
If there are four hearings, 40 contributions of $100 will ensure we are fully prepared for each session.
 
If 22 neighbors contribute $40 we can fund legal representation for one four‑hour Conditional Use Hearing. Each hearing costs approximately $880 in legal representation.
If there are four hearings, 88 contributions of $40 will ensure our attorney can represent our community at every session.

Even smaller contributions matter. Every donation strengthens our ability to present the strongest possible case and demonstrates that our community is united in protecting East Vincent, the Southeastern Veterans Center, and residents within the five‑mile impact area of this project.

12/22/25 Update: 

The 12/17/25 Board of Supervisors Meeting ended with the ordinance being scrapped. Below is a summary of what's happening now from an excellent member of the community:

People consider me an expert in Pennhurst, thus, many have asked me to weigh in on the data center topic. Rather than give you an emotional response, I'll approach it the same way I approach my talks on disability advocacy. The facts:

WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR:
The applicant (Pennhurst, LLC) has applied for the development of a data center on the grounds of the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital. The draft plans show the entire Pennhurst South Campus being used for the data center proposal. Every currently existing building – with the exception of Assembly Hall – has a structure planned in its place. It is safe to assume that the entire campus will be leveled to make room for the proposed data center.
In response to this proposal, the township had attempted to draft an ordinance to restrict certain aspects of the data center to protect the local population and ecology. The applicant would have then been allowed to reapply under the new ordinance in a good-faith attempt at listening to the community.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED:
The ordinance became “too restrictive” according to the applicant, and they declared that they would not switch to the new ordinance and will continue the application process under the currently existing Industrial Mixed Use zoning laws as a Conditional Use.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:
Beginning in January, the Planning Commission will review the application and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the application.
A public hearing on the application will be held in March. The hearing can be continued if the board chooses. This means a subsequent hearing may be scheduled for a future date. The Board of Supervisors must render a decision within 45 days after the last hearing, though all hearings must be completed no later than 100 days after the completion of the applicant's case. I am uncertain what date that is. The Board can choose to:
1. Approve the application
2. Approve the application subject to conditions – The applicant can accept the conditions and continue with the process or decline to meet the conditions and withdraw the application.
3. Deny the application – If the application is denied, the decision shall be accompanied by findings, conclusions, and reasons for the decision.
LONG TERM:
Should the application be approved, the applicant will undergo a rigorous, years-long process of getting permits and studies done.
Should it be denied, they have the option to appeal the decision and move up the chain of command (county, state, etc.). This appellate process can take years as well.
Regardless, it is safe to say that Pennhurst will stand for a few years, if not longer. Its fate currently rests on the votes of the Board of Supervisors some time in March, 2026.
RELEVANT FACTS AND OPINION:
Pennhurst is recognized as an International Site of Conscience. It is ground zero for national movements such as special education, disabled civil rights, workers' rights, and much more. Over 10,000 forgotten souls have lived in those halls. It stands as a reminder for how we behaved in the early 1900: damning those who are different, goading the Nazi movement, and our obsession with money. Its significance is deserving of a place in school textbooks, national conversation, and more - regardless of its fate.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:
An individual or group/organization can apply as an affected party to the application, which will allow them the opportunity to speak, cross examine, or provide evidence for or against the application. I am unsure of the application process at this time and will update when I learn how to do so.
WHY DOESN'T THE BOARD JUST SAY NO?
The board will be tasked with operating in a quasi-judicial capacity as early as March 2026. This means they will be acting as judges over this application. As such, a judge cannot reveal bias as they consider the facts. They will only reveal their opinion at the time of voting. It is for this reason the Board of Supervisors, most likely under the advisement of the Township Solicitor, are hesitant to answer questions directly related to the proposal. Prematurely revealing bias would open the floodgates on appeals and lawsuits. Many constituents are understandably frustrated at the seemingly neutral (or otherwise) stance the Board is presenting, but it is legally necessary.

**For those interested in providing more tangible support, please contact the East Vincent Advocacy group at https://www.evtadvocacy.org/ and join the "Prevent East Vincent Data Center Development" Facebook group.