Swatara Township's Board of Commissioners has approved community benefits agreements for a pair of proposed data center projects, locking in a combined USD 120.3 million in developer contributions tied to the construction of the facilities in Dauphin County.

Board Signs off on Agreements for Highlands West and Highlands East

According to the board, the agreements include USD 84.15 million in contributions associated with Highlands West and USD 36.15 million associated with Highlands East. The approval came last week, according to the township.

The two projects were previously the subject of public attention in the township. The Swatara Township Planning Commission heard public comment during a meeting, and the data center proposals have been described locally as controversial.

The Board also references an earlier development in the project's history: the Dauphin County golf course involved in one of the projects was sold for USD 45.6 million to make way for a data center.

Where the Facilities Would be Built

Highlands West is expected to be built over the Dauphin Highlands Golf Course at 650 South Harrisburg Street, according to preliminary plans from the developers. Highlands East would be located at 4951 Highland Street, according to the same preliminary plans.

No construction timeline or completion date for either facility was included in the information released by the township.

How the USD 120.3 Million Would Be Spent

The total of USD 120.3 million in contributions will be split across a range of municipal initiatives, the board said. The largest single allocation is USD38 million to build a joint police and fire headquarters and emergency operations center.

The second-largest commitment is USD 27 million in restricted long-term funding for roads, public works equipment, snow removal, facilities, parks, technology, capital reserves, and debt and service stabilization.

An additional USD 24 million is designated for a second public safety facility, which would include a fire station, police substation, EMS support and a backup emergency operations center.

Public safety staffing also figures prominently in the package. The agreements commit USD 12 million to fund career firefighter positions, recruitment and retention, firefighter pension funding, and future police, public works and code enforcement staffing.

Another USD 8 million is set aside for fire apparatus replacement, and USD 3 million is earmarked to replace patrol vehicles, make technology and communications upgrades and provide equipment for critical infrastructure protection.

A USD 3 million allocation would fund a municipal training facility for fire, police and EMS training, emergency-response exercises and emergency-management preparedness.

Beyond emergency services, the agreements direct USD 4 million toward operating-cost stabilization, including residential trash collection, assistance for seniors, veterans and residents in hardship, fee stabilization and taxpayer-impact mitigation. A separate USD 1 million allocation would fund scholarships for township residents and training programs to support data center workforce readiness.

The remaining USD 300,000 is designated for solicitor, engineer, and consulting fees.

Payments Tied to Development Milestones

The contributions will be paid in installments based on development milestones, the township said. That structure means the flow of funds to the township's planned initiatives will correspond to progress on the two data center projects rather than arriving as a single upfront payment.

The milestone-based payment arrangement applies to the full USD 120.3 million package, which combines the USD 84.15 million associated with Highlands West and the USD 36.15 million associated with Highlands East.

Background on the Projects

The approval of the community benefits agreements follows a period of public engagement on the proposals. The Planning Commission's meeting on Sept. 8, 2026, included a public comment period during which residents could weigh in on the projects.

The source material indicates the data center projects have been controversial in the township, and one of the two sites, the Dauphin Highlands Golf Course property at 650 South Harrisburg Street, where Highlands West is expected to be built, was the subject of a USD 45.6 million sale that cleared the way for the land to be converted from a golf course into a data center site.

No additional details about the developers, the size of the facilities, or the specific technology to be housed at the sites were provided in the township's announcement.

What the Funding would mean for the Township

Taken together, the allocations in the community benefits agreements touch nearly every major area of municipal operations in Swatara Township.

Public safety accounts for the largest share of the spending, with the USD 38 million for the joint police and fire headquarters and emergency operations center, the USD 24 million for the second public safety facility, the USD 12 million for staffing and pension funding, the USD 8 million for fire apparatus replacement, the USD 3 million for the training facility, and the USD 3 million for patrol vehicles, technology, communications, and critical infrastructure protection all directed toward police, fire, and EMS needs.

Infrastructure and general municipal operations are addressed through the USD 27 million in restricted long-term funding covering roads, public works equipment, snow removal, facilities, parks, technology, capital reserves, and debt and service stabilization, as well as the USD 4 million for operating-cost stabilization covering trash collection, assistance programs for seniors, veterans and residents in hardship, fee stabilization, and mitigation of impacts on taxpayers.

The agreements also include provisions aimed at connecting township residents to the data center industry itself, with the USD 1 million scholarship and workforce training allocation intended to support data center workforce readiness for township residents.

The board's approval of the agreements marks a formal commitment between the township and the developers of Highlands West and Highlands East, with the contribution schedule now structured around development milestones as the projects move forward.

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