WRIGHTSTOWN (NBC 26) — Wrightstown residents will now get to decide whether the village should continue exploring potential data center development.
After months of heated debate and packed meetings, the Wrightstown Village Board on Tuesday approved a referendum question for the August 11 primary election.
The referendum asks voters whether the village should authorize or support utility infrastructure for potential large-scale data center projects.
The vote does not approve a data center project itself. Instead, it gives residents the opportunity to weigh in on whether the village should move forward with exploring infrastructure tied to future development proposals.
As NBC 26 has previously reported, village leaders have been in discussions with developer Cloverleaf Infrastructure since January.
That possibility has sparked strong opposition from many neighbors, who have raised concerns about water use, energy demands, environmental impacts, noise, and the potential changes a major data center could bring to the village's character.
Residents have spent weeks organizing independently and speaking out at meetings against potential development.
Earlier this month, the village hosted a public listening session featuring representatives from Cloverleaf and outside experts discussing how data centers operate and what impacts they can have on communities.
Cloverleaf has also pursued a proposed data center project in Greenleaf, where neighbors similarly rallied against the development earlier this year.
The referendum will appear on the August 11 primary ballot.
