Revised Plans Include Tech Buildings At Keystone Trade Center

The entrance to the Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township in May 2021. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

A shift from distribution centers to a high-tech data campus is underway at part of the Keystone Trade Center.

The Falls Township Board of Supervisors on Monday evening approved revised land development plans for NorthPoint Development’s Keystone Trade Center, the years-long redevelopment of the former U.S. Steel property.

The approved plans modify a previously approved 1 million-square-foot distribution center at 1 Ben Fairless Drive into a data center with an accessory structure and altered access driveways.

The plans for the large data center. Credit: Falls Township

Additionally, plans for four distribution centers totaling over 3 million square feet at 700 South Port Road have been replaced with a “digital infrastructure campus” consisting of 10 structures ranging from 112,000 to 217,000 square feet, totaling over 2 million square feet, according to the developer.

The plans for the tech campus. Credit: Falls Township

Attorney Mike Meginniss, who is representing NorthPoint Development said the revised plans represent a “diversification of this site.”

“This is going to end up being a really nice compliment and mix at the end of the day,” Meginniss said.

NorthPoint Vice President of Development Jeremy Michael told supervisors the shift means less truck traffic and fewer employees on-site, with the new positions requiring more technical skills and offering higher pay than warehouse jobs.

During the meeting, questions were raised by the public about potential energy impacts.

Michael assured them NorthPoint Development is working closely with PECO and cited the site’s “surplus” power capacity. He acknowledged the data center would require a “significant amount” of megawatts but declined to provide specifics due to a non-disclosure agreement.

“This is a really great location in terms of the infrastructure that’s already in place to support it,” Michael said.

The site once had its owner power plant that was closed as U.S. Steel scaled down its operations. NorthPoint Development moved to using PECO as the site as redevelopment moved forward.

Supervisor Brian Galloway called the data center’s addition “awesome.”

The Keystone Trade Center has Cirro, FedEx, Italian shipping and logistics company Savino Del Bene and logistics firm Jillamy already in the complex.

NorthPoint Development acquired the former U.S. Steel property for $160 million in late 2020. The company plans to invest $1.5 billion in the site’s transformation, including $40 million to $45 million in remediation. The overall project aims to build 20 or more industrial warehouse buildings, distribution centers, and data centers, totaling 10 million to 15 million square feet and potentially creating 14,000 jobs.

The Bucks County Commissioners, Falls Township, and the Pennsbury School District designated the site a Keystone Opportunity Investment Zone from January 2021 through December 2035, offering significant tax breaks to incentivize development.

Previous reporting on the project: