Dissident Republicans throw support to Stelson in Pa. 10th race

A key moment arrived Friday in the birthing of a proposed hyperscale data center in Cumberland County. For the first time, an independent arbiter with something like veto power over the project’s future was asked to weigh in. That decider, Common Pleas Court Judge Matt Smith, heard arguments on two preliminary questions Friday: Whether an appeal of township approvals of plans for the Pax-1 Data Center should be dismissed outright, or get a full review on its merits, and; And, if the case proceeds, should the developer be required to pause all blasting, grading and other preliminary work at the site until the legal case is decided. Smith said did not immediately rule. His decisions are expected within the next several weeks. Those aren’t the only questions headed to the court over this $15 billion project in Middlesex Township near Carlisle. A second filing alleges that a May 2025 zoning change that opened the door to the data center project constituted illegal “spot zoning.” Still, the very occasion of Friday’s arguments felt a little bit like a new day for appellants and their allies after dealing with township officials whose stated position for months has been they must approve any plan that meets technical land development requirements. “You feel like you’ve always been talking to a brick wall,” Kyle Gerber, one of the appellants, said after the hearing.

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