PA Data Center Partners, Lewistown, Pennsylvania

PA Data Center Partners filed plans on July 10, 2026, for a data center off Loop Road in Granville Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, two days before township supervisors had planned to invoke a curative amendment process aimed at such developments. The Cumberland County firm, through its subsidiary Lewistown Development LLC, proposes six buildings totaling 1.54 million square feet on about 245.5 acres between the Mifflin County Industrial Park and homes along the Juniata River, and has promised $22.5 million in tax revenue to the county, school district and township.

About 100 people came to an emergency supervisors meeting that Sunday, and several speakers urged Granville to become the first Pennsylvania municipality to take a stand against large-scale data center development. "It takes just one voice, one person, one municipality to stand up for the people," said Tony Dastra, the Green Party candidate for governor.

Resident Nate Fisher alleged "backhanded deals," and Cori Hockenberry asked the township solicitor, Fred Lighty, about what she called a "gentleman's agreement" for the developer to wait until a new data-center ordinance was adopted; Lighty said he assumed the developer saw something in the draft it did not like.

Supervisors dropped plans to invoke the curative amendment on Lighty's advice, since the ordinance the township was writing would not apply to an application already filed. The township then adopted a zoning amendment defining data centers for the first time, and less than 24 hours later its zoning officer returned the application as incomplete because it lacked a traffic study certification.

A town hall with the developers was canceled. On August 13 the developer appealed, arguing the plan should be judged under the old ordinance, and said it would also challenge the amended ordinance in the Mifflin County Court of Common Pleas.

The Granville Township Zoning Hearing Board will hear the developer's appeal at 7 p.m. on October 1, 2026, at the township building on Helen Street.