North Coventry Supervisors Oppose Coventry Mall Data Center

The North Coventry Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Monday to oppose a proposal to build an 85,987-square-foot data center at the former Coventry Mall. The developers, PGOB Coventry Holdings and Pennmark Management Company Inc., sought a special exception zoning approval by labeling the project a public service facility.

Township Zoning Officer Cheryl Franckowiak rejected that characterization, calling the conclusion erroneous. In response, the supervisors recommended that the zoning hearing board deny the application as incomplete and authorized Township Solicitor Eric Brown to actively oppose the project. State Senator Katie Muth also criticized the application, stating the project "is complete trash and it is certainly not a public utility of any kind."

The meeting saw significant public pushback, with some residents protesting outside the room over alleged violations of state open meeting laws caused by capacity limits. While the supervisors' vote serves as a recommendation, the final decision rests with the semi-judicial zoning hearing board. The project's future may also be influenced by a recent executive order from Governor Josh Shapiro that established guardrails for data center applications.