The developer behind two massive data center complexes planned for Swatara Township will give residents a chance to ask questions face-to-face next week, as concerns mount over noise, water use and strain on the electric grid. Corscale Data Centers has said it will spend $10.5 billion to build the two projects, known as Highlands East and Highlands West, after already spending more than $100 million to acquire the properties.
The community information session is scheduled for next Thursday, October 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel at 4650 Lindle Road in Swatara Township, according to PennLive.com. Township officials describe it as an informal drop-in event with no formal presentation, meaning residents can arrive at any point during the two-hour window to speak directly with project representatives, ask questions and offer feedback.
Two Complexes, One Golf Course
The Highlands West plan would rise on the site of the Dauphin Highlands Golf Course, which is set to close on October 12. That plan, submitted to Swatara Township but not yet presented to the township's planning commission, calls for three one-story buildings of 409,500 square feet each, along with two substations, a PPL public utility switch station, three chiller yards and four stormwater basins at 650 S. Highland St., a parcel that extends into Steelton.
The golf course's path to a data center site traces back to debt the Dauphin County General Authority had carried since acquiring the 228-acre property in 1993. The authority approved a $45.6 million sale of the course last year to an affiliate of developer Provident Realty and Corscale, resolving roughly $12.8 million in operating debt, according to coverage cited in historical reporting. In May, the authority approved an amendment letting buyer Harrisburg I, LLC close early while leasing the course back to keep it running through this golf season.
The separate Highlands East complex, proposed behind WITF at 4951 Highland St., would include two data center buildings of 372,132 square feet apiece, each a single story standing 35 feet tall with another 15 feet of rooftop accessories. That plan also includes a substation, a municipal sanitary pump station, a 230-square-foot guardhouse, five stormwater basins and its own PPL switch station. Erik Draaisma, executive vice president of business development for Corscale, has been named in connection with the project.
Cooling, Power and an Unnamed Tenant
The Highlands East buildings would rely on a closed-loop cooling system that cycles coolant rather than continuously drawing water, using roughly 7,500 gallons per day. That water-use figure, along with design details for Corscale's 157-acre Highlands East site, was detailed by WITF, which reported the site plan includes a 210-foot property setback, a 70-foot landscape buffer, a 50-foot parking setback and a planned 1,700 trees along Highland Street. Local water extractions for the project fall under the jurisdiction of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the station noted.
Power for the Highlands East buildings would come from the public grid rather than onsite generation, with Corscale covering the cost of the onsite substation and switch station. The plan still includes 12 backup generators. Corscale has a prospective tenant for the complex, but no agreement has been finalized and the tenant's identity has not been announced.
Residents Push Back on Noise and Grid Strain
When the Highlands East plan went before Swatara Township's planning commission on September 8, residents raised concerns about noise pollution, generator impacts and strain on the electric grid. Those worries echo a broader pattern across the township, which initially voted 3-2 in April 2025 to rezone select properties to a Mixed Use District allowing data centers and permitting building heights up to 105 feet, as reported by PennLive.com.
In response, the township began updating its Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance this September based on regional model guidelines, with proposed rules restricting backup generator testing to daytime hours between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. and capping maximum facility noise at 70 decibels. The same reporting outlined those draft limits as township officials work to balance the projects against resident complaints.
A Statewide Boom Under New Rules
Swatara Township's two proposals are part of a much larger wave; state policy tracking identified 81 active data center development proposals across Pennsylvania as of August, reflecting rapid expansion tied to the PJM Interconnection regional electric grid, according to the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. Pennsylvania's Department of Revenue has projected that the state's Computer Data Center Sales and Use Tax Exemption, first enacted in 2016 and expanded in 2021, will cost the Commonwealth at least $1.9 billion in forgone tax revenue through 2031.
In August, Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order requiring data center developments exceeding 25 megawatts to sign binding agreements with the state Department of Environmental Protection complying with GRID standards for energy affordability and environmental safeguards in order to qualify for state tax benefits, according to Fox Rothschild. The order is meant to shift grid upgrade costs onto developers rather than residential ratepayers as projects like Highlands East and Highlands West move forward across the state.
