UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — Nine months after Air Products unveiled plans to transform its former Upper Macungie Township headquarters into a massive data center campus, the company has abandoned the proposed project.
Air Products confirmed it did not appeal a recent Upper Macungie Township Zoning Hearing Board decision that rejected its request to establish a data center at the 194-acre property.
The final deadline for Air Products to appeal was Aug. 5.
"Air Products has decided not to pursue an appeal of the Upper Macungie Township Zoning Board decision related to the former headquarters property," spokesman Art George said in a statement Wednesday. "We appreciate the engagement of township officials, residents and other stakeholders throughout this process.
"Air Products has a long history in the Lehigh Valley, and we remain committed to maintaining positive relationships in the communities where we operate," the statement continued.
"No decisions have been made regarding the future ownership or future use of the property. We have no announcements or additional updates to share at this time."
The decision effectively ends the proposal to build three data center buildings totaling about 2.6 million square feet at the former headquarters site along Hamilton Boulevard and Cetronia Road.
The zoning board had been considering whether a data center could be permitted as a "similar use" to those already allowed in the township's Limited Industrial zoning district. The board's decision was issued in July after a May 27 hearing.
Air Products had first disclosed the data center proposal in November 2025, kicking off a months-long zoning review.
The proposal was notable in part because it closely mirrored a development plan Air Products had already secured approval for in 2023.
From warehouses to data centers
The property has been vacant since Air Products moved its global headquarters to a new campus nearby in 2021.
Before the data center proposal emerged, the company had pursued a plan to redevelop the property with three warehouses totaling about 2.61 million square feet.
Upper Macungie supervisors granted preliminary approval in 2023, with final approval following that July.
The warehouse plan was developed with logistics company Prologis, which was expected to own and operate the facilities. That deal ultimately never came to fruition.
The data center proposal essentially repurposed that existing development concept. It called for three buildings measuring approximately 1.2 million square feet, 926,250 square feet and 435,600 square feet.
The proposal also retained plans to reroute traffic serving the property to Cetronia Road and reconstruct the road to accommodate the development.
The two projects differed significantly in expected traffic. At the time, Air Products' studies projected the warehouse development would generate about 1,534 cars and 286 trucks per day. The data center proposal projected about 930 cars and just 19 trucks per day. Both plans anticipated using about 95,000 gallons of water per day.
When Air Products submitted the data center proposal in late 2025, Upper Macungie had recently changed its zoning regulations to prohibit data centers in the Limited Industrial district. Because zoning cases generally are reviewed under the regulations in effect when an application is submitted, the company sought to establish the project as a use similar to those already permitted.
The zoning fight ultimately became the project's biggest obstacle.
What's next for the property?
As the company's statement noted, there are no new develop plans to share for the former headquarters property.
That leaves Air Products with a roughly 194-acre site that has now been the subject of two large-scale redevelopment proposals in recent years, neither of which came to fruition.
Lehigh County's website shows the Hamilton Boulevard property has an assessed value of $23.2 million.
The company's decision also comes as municipalities across the Lehigh Valley continue preparing for potential data center development.
Upper Macungie has been among several municipalities that moved to tighten or clarify their zoning regulations as interest in large-scale data centers continues to grow.