CLINTON TWP., Pa. — Township leaders in Wayne County are facing a race against time as they begin reviewing plans for a massive, multi-billion-dollar data center campus that could fundamentally transform the rural community for decades. Public plans unveiled this week detail a proposed 682-acre development in Clinton Township featuring 20 data center buildings alongside two on-site gas-fired power plants. A public hearing held on Monday marked the official first step in the approval process for Clinton Township supervisors, who must now evaluate the project under local regulations that were never designed to handle an industrial build of this scale.
If approved, the construction of the facility would cost upwards of $6 billion, generate hundreds of long-term jobs, and require an estimated 60,000 gallons of water per day to operate. However, local leaders and residents are grappling with the immense pressure the development places on township infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. Supervisors are working through a tight window to establish updated zoning and land-development rules before review deadlines expire, balancing the promise of major economic investment against growing community concerns over environmental impacts, utility demands, and rural preservation.
