[Letter] A mother’s perspective on the proposed South Annville Twp. data center

This letter was submitted to LebTown. Read our submission policy here.

As a resident of South Annville and a mother of three children, I find myself in the difficult position of trying to weigh the pros and cons of the new data center proposed by Inch & Co. in our township while keeping the next generation in mind.

For the sake of argument, let’s call this “forward thinking.” I want to weigh the possibilities judiciously as they will affect my children far longer than they will affect me.

On the one hand, since Inch & Co. claims not to be seeking tax exemptions via a LERTA, the estimated revenue generated by this proposed data center could be of great benefit to our schools.

On the other hand, there are no studies yet on the long-term health or environmental impacts of large scale data centers such as this. Electing to build a large data center on property that abuts the Quittie (a tributary of our drinking water), is 120 feet from the Carmany Place apartments and playground, and is located just two-thirds of a mile away from our elementary school leaves the township zero margin for error. If even one of the pollutants Dr. Dompier of LVC cautions against in his recent letter to LebTown – noise, air, water, or land contaminants – proves consequential in time, then we have left our future Annville generation up the Quittie Creek without a paddle.

It is the shared experience of parents everywhere that, when there is something new that directly relates to our children’s health, we do research. What parent has not scrutinized reviews before choosing a new pediatrician? What mother or father has not researched product safety before buying a car seat – or even a water bottle? Should we not also ask for research concerning how a data center might affect the water that goes in those little water bottles?

In both the South Annville Township Board of Supervisors and the Lebanon County Commissioners meetings, Inch & Co. claimed that their data center will not be like older data centers. They say they are not seeking a LERTA tax break from our schools. They claim noise pollution will be abated, other pollution studies can be done, and firefighters will receive the proper training and equipment to deal with fires specific to data centers. Unfortunately, the citizens of South Annville have not yet been given any sources to back up those claims. No outside data has been provided to us showing that large scale data centers are not likely to cause pollution. Inch & Co. has not even explained what differences exist between a regular structure fire and a burning data center – differences which necessitate them providing special training and equipment to our local volunteer firefighters. This is a lack of forward thinking.

In the absence of data tables or scholarly sources from Inch & Co. to back up their claims, South Annville residents are being asked to take the land developers at their word. We are being asked to trust them that their data center will be different – that it will be safe for our children to eat, sleep, fish, play, and go to school alongside. For many parents and grandparents, this is a big ask. If we are to consider trusting a for-profit company with our children’s health in order to receive tax revenue for our school district, it seems reasonable that we would first make a good faith effort to determine if Inch & Co. is a trustworthy company, just as we might ask a neighbor for a recommendation before hiring a sitter for our children. Each of us must be forward thinking and come to our own conclusions, but here is what this parent discovered:

“We don’t have forward thinkers, and the community activists that are against these projects are not forward thinkers, and that’s kind of where we fall.”

John Inch, co-owner of Inch & Co, concerning community opposition to projects in York County

The owners of Inch & Co. and parents likely have very different ideas of what it means to be a “forward thinker.” For the land developing company, forward thinking means multi-billion dollar projects.

In York County, where Inch & Co. is based, there have been multiple instances of resistance and opposition to their projects. Last summer, the York Daily Record – hometown paper of Inch & Co. – reported, “In recent years, Inch & Co. has seen backlash from several communities in opposition to its projects, specifically in York.”

Speaking about his frustration with the process of project approval through municipal government where residents may speak and share opposing views, co-owner of Inch & Co. Mr. John Inch stated, “A (million-dollar) project gets decided in this little borough room. That little borough room could decide whether there’s $100 million invested in that borough − and 20 people who have no vested interest can persuade a five-person board in making a decision.”

I’ve watched several recordings of these York County board meetings. The people Mr. Inch seems to claim have “no vested interest” include resident grandparents, parents, coaches, and former school board members. According to the York Daily Record, Inch went on to say, “We don’t have forward thinkers, and the community activists that are against these projects are not forward thinkers, and that’s kind of where we fall.” What frustrations led York County residents to speak out against Inch & Co. in their municipal meetings? Perhaps, in truth, they were more forward thinking than the developers.

“Truth shall not be a defense…”

conclusion of an Inch & Co. non-disparagement clause

One reason York County residents spoke out was that for years Inch & Co allegedly violated state consumer protection laws which culminated in a settlement with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office in November of 2023. The Attorney General put out an official statement reading, “Today, my office reached a settlement with Inch & Co. Property Management, accused of violating consumer protection laws by including a clause in their lease agreements that prohibited renters from reviewing their properties.” Specifically, according to the York Daily Record, tenants of a property managed by Inch & Co. had been forbidden from posting negative statements about the owners and/or manager of the property punishable by damages of up to two months rent. Inch & Co.’s non-disparagement clause in question concluded with, “Truth shall not be a defense to this contractual term”.

Truth is always its own defense. However, if the truth about Inch & Co.’s proposed data center in our township is ultimately environmental impact, health hazards, or significantly less tax revenue for our schools than projected, will truth be South Annville’s defense then? Or will Inch & Co. have already gagged the truth with a contract yet again? (The settlement from the Attorney General’s office detailing the damages Inch & Co. paid may be read here.)

“To be coming forward at this stage of the game to ask for this task break – it just doesn’t feel right to me.”

Eric Wolfgang, former board member of Central York School District [2024]

If a history of handcuffing the truth is not already enough to concern parents, in August of 2022, Fox43 reported that Inch & Co. had purchased land in the Central York School District and planned to build a sports complex there. Less than six months later, the company had a land development plan before the Manchester Township Planning Committee. Nevertheless, it was not until November of 2024 – nearly two years later and after they had already broken ground on the project – that Inch & Co requested tax abatement in the form of a LERTA from the Central York School District Finance Committee. In public comment after the meeting Eric Wolfgang, former board member of Central York School District, shared, “It just seems to me at the eleventh hour [Inch & Co. is] looking for a developer discount strictly on the backs of the Central York taxpayers.” Marie Damiano, also a former school board member, stated, “To be coming forward at this stage of the game to ask for this tax break – it just doesn’t feel right to me.” All in all, Inch & Co. petitioned the Central York School District twice for a LERTA to support their sports complex project – both in November of 2024 and again in February of 2025. Central York denied them both times, and shortly thereafter Inch & Co.’s partner WellSpan Health sued them for possession of the land.

This is relevant because, in order for our school district to receive their estimated tax revenue, Inch & Co. has promised our community that they are not seeking a LERTA for their data center project. However, the “eleventh hour” timeline of the LERTA requests to the Central York School Board leads me to question if our township should seek to clarify whether Inch & Co is not currently seeking tax abatement from Annville-Cleona School District, or if they will not request tax abatement from the school district at any point during their project. Forward thinking requires that we determine if Inch & Co seeks tax exemption from our schools at the first, eleventh, or any hour.

In summary, does backlash from our neighboring county, a settlement with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, and repeated “eleventh hour” LERTA requests mean that Inch & Co.’s proposed South Annville data center would be a net negative if our Board of Supervisors allows it to be built? Not necessarily. But it seems likely. Just as I would hesitate to buy my children snacks from a company with FDA recalls or refuse to hire a sitter whom my neighbor did not recommend, I would urge slow, judicious caution in deciding if Inch & Co. is a company South Annville is wise to trust and if their large scale data center truthfully will – to the very best of scholarly research – not harm our children, our land, or our drinking water.

In closing, I ask each member of our Board of Supervisors to consider the next generation. Sometimes as a parent or grandparent, being a “forward thinker” means acting conservatively with our children’s futures during a time when health and environmental impacts are still unknown. From three to eighty-three, the decisions each of you make will affect all of us. Ask for extensive research. Seek the truth and resident opinions. Value neighboring communities’ experiences with this company. Include strict regulations in ordinances. Create space for growth and new development, but hesitate to allow a large scale data center to be built so close to our children’s play areas, schools, and drinking water. The next generation of South Annville has a bright and broad future to explore. Tax revenue opportunities will come and go. But in the end, we must be the right kind of forward thinkers when it comes to our children’s health.

Sarah Dixon resides in South Annville with her husband and three children. She holds degrees in Government, Spanish, and Teaching and is the spouse of a retired service member. When she’s not folding mountains of laundry, she enjoys hiking Pennsylvania’s beautiful ridgelines.

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