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Parkland administrators flag 'unacceptable' elements of proposed 5,100,000‑sq‑ft 'Project Atlas' data center
Summary
Superintendent/administrator Dr. Madsen presented an administrative review of Project Atlas — a proposed hyperscale data‑center campus across from Parkland High School — highlighting scale (about 5.1 million sq ft, ~400 acres), an on‑site substation, hundreds of backup generators, and unanswered questions about noise, water, traffic and geologic risk.
The Parkland School District administration delivered an administrative overview of the proposed Project Atlas data‑center campus, which would sit across Cedar Crest Boulevard from Parkland High School and — in the plan presented to the township — total roughly 5,100,000 square feet on about 400 acres. “Based on what’s proposed, we find the proposal to be unacceptable,” the administrator said, summarizing a May 5 letter the district sent to township staff, the developer, PPL and the Lehigh County Authority.
Dr. Madsen described four categories of district concern: student and staff safety (proximity of an on‑site substation and large generator arrays to school facilities; potential noise and low‑frequency vibration); environmental impact (karst topography at the site, wastewater treatment needs and hazardous materials from generators and HVAC equipment); community resource strain (electricity and water consumption, emergency‑services training and capacity); and end‑user accountability (uncertainty about who would occupy the facility and what mitigation commitments an operator would accept).
Madsen repeated details from township and developer materials presented earlier: an on‑site substation, diesel backup generators shown in the initial plan (the presentation referenced 356 in one set of developer materials), and a potential interchange/road‑access change off Cedar Crest Boulevard. He said county tax‑revenue estimates and assessed‑value projections are highly preliminary and noted the township overlay rules (the PERT overlay) were designed to mitigate some kinds of industrial development, but that the current plan may not meet all overlay standards.
The administration said it has been engaging the township, attending webinars, meeting with planning staff and experts, and has requested third‑party sound and other technical studies. The district recommended continued monitoring, follow‑up with the developer, and potential further educational sessions; it also urged the community to engage with township review processes rather than expecting the school board to approve or deny the project directly (zoning decisions remain the township’s authority).
