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Residents press Falls supervisors for transparency, 180-day curative amendment over Amazon data‑center
Summary
Scores of residents pressed Falls Township supervisors for more disclosure about an Amazon data‑center campus, raising questions about NDAs, water withdrawals, generator emissions and brownfield remediation; the board adopted a curative-amendment resolution to begin a 180‑day review of zoning.
Hundreds of residents pressed the Falls Township Board of Supervisors on July 27 over the recently approved Amazon data‑center campus, demanding clearer public information about confidentiality agreements, water use from the Delaware River and backup generator emissions.
"As construction continues, residents continue to have important questions about water use from the Delaware River, emergency backup generators, potential air emissions, noise, electrical infrastructure, emergency planning, and long term impacts on our community," said Alexandra Teoxon, a registered nurse, urging the board to request Amazon voluntarily release township officials from confidentiality provisions and to consider a transparency resolution she drafted.
Several speakers said a board-signed nondisclosure agreement had limited public knowledge of the project. John Tadlock told the board the NDA had ‘‘shielded the name of the owner and what they were proposing to construct’’ and called the process a ‘‘charade.’’ Tony Battiste asked whether supervisors remain under any NDA and warned that secrecy could run afoul of sunshine laws.
Technical concerns were a recurring theme. Jeannie Fissinger, citing an engineer’s presentation at a prior meeting, said the township’s water needs were estimated at 2,500,000 gallons and the data center an additional 4,500,000 gallons, and asked who would have priority during drought. Sarah Kirk and Dylan Caracappa raised questions about the facility’s fleet of diesel and gas generators and whether the permit math kept emissions below major‑polluter thresholds; Caracappa’s calculations showed worst‑case scenarios far above the 25‑ton threshold cited at the town hall if many generators ran extensively.
In response, staff said the NDA limiting disclosure of Amazon as the end user was still in effect but that copies are public records and can be requested through right‑to‑know procedures. The board also said Northpoint reported in DEP presentations that nine of 11 remediation sections at the brownfield site are complete, with two still outstanding.
To address structural zoning concerns, the supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution invoking Section 609.2 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to begin preparing a curative amendment. The measure starts a 180‑day procedural window for staff to draft ordinance changes and evaluate whether zoning sections should be revised to define and regulate data centers, set infrastructure expectations, and consider limits on expansion.
Board members said the curative amendment is a protective, procedural step — it does not itself adopt new rules — but residents and nearby municipal officials urged the board to use the time to require clearer, enforceable community protections and to consider community benefits agreements. The board agreed to collect public input and said draft language would be advertised for review under normal ordinance procedures.
