Data Center Census

Lancaster, Lancaster County, PA

CoreWeave Lancaster data center

Also known as Lancaster East, Chirisa Lancaster

Under constructionFirst Greenfield Road building under construction; second building and Harrisburg Pike site still need approvals
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group are converting two former LSC Communications/R.R. Donnelley printing plants in Lancaster city, at 216 Greenfield Road and 1375 Harrisburg Pike, into AI data centers with CoreWeave as tenant. CoreWeave says it will commit up to $6 billion for 100 MW of initial capacity, expandable to 300 MW. The first Greenfield Road building is under construction and targeted for summer 2027; residents are appealing approval of a second building.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity300 MW [1]
potential expansion
IT load100 MW [1]
initial IT capacity, expandable to 300 MW
Site size144 acres [2]
two former printing plant properties
Stated investment$6 billion [1]
CoreWeave commitment of up to $6 billion; total project budget reported as up to $10 billion
Permanent jobs (promised)175 [1]
about 70 at launch, scaling to 175
Construction jobs600 [1]
Target completionSummer 2027 for the first Greenfield Road building [4]

Power

Air permitPA DEP air quality permit for emergency diesel generators at 216 Greenfield Road; draft approval published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on November 15, 2025 [9]
Source excerpt
“PA DEP posted the draft permit approval in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on November 15, 2025, initiating a 30-day public comment period.”

Water

Water use20,000 gal/day [10]
cap per campus under the community benefits agreement, not a measured figure
Source excerpt
“Water use is capped at 20,000 gallons per day per campus, significantly less than the use for typical manufacturing”
Coolingair cooling and a closed-loop water system [9]
Source excerpt
“air cooling and a closed-loop water system for cooling”

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesNone offered by the City of Lancaster [9]
Source excerpt
“No. The City of Lancaster has not offered any development incentives (tax breaks, discounted fees, etc.) to the project.”
Payments / community benefitsCommunity benefits agreement: owners contribute $10 million each to two funds, paid in $2.5 million increments starting at construction financing [10]
Source excerpt
“The owners will contribute $10 million each to two funds”

Local decisions & site

ZoningSuburban Manufacturing (SM); data center use deemed consistent with the district [9]
Source excerpt
“These properties are zoned for Suburban Manufacturing (SM), which is regulated by Chapter 300 of the Code of the City of Lancaster.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Upcoming hearings

  • Sep 28, 2026 — Lancaster City Zoning Hearing Board: Hearing on Lancaster Residents Against Glut and Exhaust (RAGE) appeal of the second Greenfield Road data center, 4 p.m., City Hall [7]

Timeline

  1. City zoning officer classifies both data centers as a permitted wholesale trade and storage use [3]

  2. Work begins on first Greenfield Road building [6]

  3. CoreWeave announces up to $6 billion commitment for Lancaster data center [1]

  4. Lancaster City Council approves $20 million community benefits agreement, 6-1 [5]

  5. Report that lenders passed on construction financing; CoreWeave says project is fully funded and moving forward [6]

  6. Residents' group appeals planning commission's conditional preliminary approval of a second Greenfield Road data center [7]

Issues raised

  • Residents argued the project should not have been approved as 'wholesale trade and storage' without public hearings [3][4]
  • Community benefits agreement limits noise, restricts testing of 176 backup diesel generators, and requires 100% renewable energy (including nuclear) for 10 years; critics called its penalties 'pay to pollute' [5]
  • Residents raised water, noise and air quality concerns [4]

Sources

  1. CoreWeave Announces Multi-Billion Dollar Commitment to AI Infrastructure in Pennsylvania
    CoreWeave · Jul 15, 2025 · company
  2. CoreWeave plans $6bn data center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
    DatacenterDynamics · Jul 15, 2025 · news
  3. Lancaster, Pa., Hearing to Revisit Data Center Zoning Decision
    Government Technology · Aug 8, 2025 · news
  4. Lancaster city data centers face zoning hearing, possible new regulations
    WITF · Aug 28, 2025 · news
  5. Lancaster City Council votes to approve data center benefits agreement
    LancasterOnline · Nov 21, 2025 · news
  6. Lenders passed on financing for Lancaster city data centers: report
    LancasterOnline · Feb 24, 2026 · news
  7. Second planned Lancaster city data center facing residents' appeal
    LancasterOnline · Aug 21, 2026 · news
  8. Data Center Information
    City of Lancaster · government
  9. Data Center Frequently Asked Questions
    City of Lancaster, PA · government
  10. Data Center Community Benefits Agreement
    City of Lancaster, PA · government