Residents press planning commission on traffic, sidewalks and data-center risks

Shane Haden, of 410 Northell Road, opened public comment with a list of concerns about the Arbor/Arbor Glenn plans, saying the traffic study “is not taking into account the impact” of nearby large developments and warning that granting sidewalk waivers on SR‑322 would worsen pedestrian safety.

Haden asked the commission not to approve a waiver that would let developers avoid building sidewalks along 322, pointing to existing incidents of pedestrians being struck and to emergency‑vehicle access problems when on‑street parking congests narrow local streets.

A second resident, who spoke without giving her name at the mic, urged commissioners to prioritize open space and questioned whether the proposed developments would leave future generations adequate clean air, water and scenic views. Jerry Gerald of 2297 Pike and Russell Janney of 775 Road echoed safety concerns: Gerald called Koopa Road and portions of 322 “not even wide enough” and described frequent high speeds and hazards for Amish buggies; Janney worried about snow‑removal and whether the development’s streets and easements would support plowing and emergency access.

Joseph Degary, a Township Line Road resident who addressed a pending countywide data‑center ordinance, asked the commission to adopt strict local limits: he urged banning potable water hookups for cooling, requiring closed‑loop cooling, and imposing explicit caps on backup generator hours and battery testing. “For a hyperscale data center to have four hours of battery backup, it’ll take the equivalent lithium of 70,000 Tesla batteries,” Degary said, warning of multi‑day lithium battery fires and containment challenges.

Commissioners and staff largely did not debate the merits of the individual public‑comment assertions during that portion of the meeting but directed staff to carry resident concerns into formal reviews of pending land‑development and ordinance items. Planning staff agreed to verify crash records, range of developments included in traffic studies and to pass safety concerns to the applicant teams and PennDOT when appropriate.

The commission opened the evening’s agenda to permit follow‑up on specific items later in the meeting, including the Arbor Glenn recreation plan and other land‑development reviews. The session adjourned after the special‑meeting schedule and next procedural steps — including a continuation on the data‑center ordinance — were confirmed.