Official township map showing the 25.5-acre parcel (30-4-2) at 500 E. Reeceville Rd. Note the massive scale of this industrial site compared to the surrounding residential neighborhoods and Applecross Country Club. This is the definition of Illegal Spot Zoning. Even after accounting for strict township setbacks and stormwater requirements, a developer can easily fit a 200,000 to 300,000 square foot data center on this land. For comparison, that is the size of nearly four football fields—dropped directly into the center of a residential neighborhood.

A developer is trying to use a 1989 legal loophole to force a massive industrial data center into our R-2 residential neighborhood. We are demanding the Board of Supervisors reject this 'Spot Zoning' and use a Municipal Curative Amendment to protect our community

Attend the Hearing: The initial May 21st hearing was postponed. The township has until August 28th to reschedule. Watch for the new date and show up to protect your property!

https://www.ebrandywine.org/m/newsflash​

https://www.publicnoticepa.com/Search.aspx - Search East Brandywine 

1. The Ask

Target: East Brandywine Township Board of Supervisors and Township Manager Luke Reven.

The Demand: Reject the Curative Amendment submitted by the 500 ER-EBY Trust for 500 East Reeceville Road.

The Solution: Immediately initiate a Municipal Curative Amendment (under PA Municipalities Planning Code § 609.2) to pause the developer and allow the township to write its own laws, legally restricting data centers to heavy industrial zones.

2. The Threat & The Loophole

The Site: A 25.5-acre parcel located at 500 East Reeceville Road, squarely in the R-2 Residential District and adjacent to the Applecross Country Club.

The Loophole: The developer is exploiting the fact that our 1989 zoning ordinance doesn't mention "data centers." They are trying to force an amendment to build a hyper-scale industrial facility by right in a residential neighborhood.

The Legal Reality: Singling out one parcel for an incompatible industrial use to benefit a commercial developer is illegal Spot Zoning and directly violates the East Brandywine Comprehensive Plan (which designates this area as Suburban/Rural).

3. The Financial Threat

Loss of EIT: The township relies heavily on the Earned Income Tax (EIT). Swapping potentially 15 to 20 high-earning residential households for a highly automated data center with a skeleton crew (15-30 people) creates a massive, permanent EIT loss for the township.

Tax-Exempt Tech: The hundreds of millions of dollars of servers inside the building are legally classified as "equipment" under PA law and are 100% exempt from local property taxes.

Property Value Drop: Dropping a 24/7 industrial nuisance next to Applecross and local subdivisions will tank surrounding property values. As homeowners win tax reassessment appeals, the school district and township will lose substantial recurring revenue.

4. The Nuisance Factors (Noise, Light, Traffic)

The Nighttime Startle: A 30 to 50 Megawatt data center requires a farm of roughly twenty 2-Megawatt commercial diesel generators. In a power failure, these roar to life instantly, creating a concussive, jet-engine-level acoustic shockwave.

Constant Hum: Massive external HVAC chillers emit inescapable, low-frequency noise (dBC) that easily penetrates residential walls and windows 24/7.

Light Pollution: Maximum-security perimeters require intense, continuous stadium-level floodlighting, destroying the dark-sky character of the R-2 district.

5. Wildlife & Infrastructure Sprawl

The Bald Eagles: The famous Applecross mating pair nests directly adjacent to this site. A data center's noise and lighting directly violate the 1,000-foot disturbance buffer strictly mandated by the PA Game Commission and the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Infrastructure Nightmare: Tier III/IV data centers require massive, redundant high-voltage power and fiber optic paths. Routing this to a residential parcel means tearing up local roads and risks forcing new utility easements across private property—threatening a repeat of the decade-long Giant supermarket litigation.

6. Take Action Now: Protect East Brandywine
We cannot afford to ignore this crisis, and we cannot let an outdated 1989 loophole destroy the character of our residential community. By signing this petition, you are standing up for our township’s future and demanding that our elected officials protect us from illegal spot zoning.

Please add your name today to tell the Board of Supervisors:

NO to the 500 ER-EBY Trust Curative Amendment.
YES to a Municipal Curative Amendment to permanently protect our R-2 districts.