On Thursday , Governor Josh Shapiro and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)Secretary Jessica Shirley joined executives from NorthPoint Development, elected officials, and labor leaders at the Keystone Trade Center to highlight how the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to speed up and improve Pennsylvania’s permitting process are helping the Commonwealth land major economic development projects and create thousands of jobs and economic growth across the Commonwealth.
The Governor’s visit follows an announcement in June that Amazon Web Services (AWS) will invest an initial $20billion — the largest private sector investment in Pennsylvania history — to build multiple high-tech cloud computing and AI innovation campuses across the Commonwealth, including a site at the redeveloped Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township.
The project will create thousands of high-paying tech, construction, and supplier jobs, while establishing Pennsylvania as a national leader in artificial intelligence and next-generation technology.
To support this growth, the Commonwealth is investing an initial $10 million to expand workforce training, vo-tech, and career and technical education (CTE) statewide — ensuring Pennsylvania workers have the skills to succeed in the jobs of the future. Reflecting that leadership, Code for America recently ranked Pennsylvania among the top three states for AI readiness in its July 2025 Government AI Landscape Assessment.
Credit: Commonwealth Media Services
“My Administration is proving that government can work at the speed of business — and that when we work together, we can bring game-changing projects like this Amazon data center campus to Pennsylvania,” said Governor Shapiro. “This project is part of the largest private sector investment in Pennsylvania history — an initial $20 billion commitment from Amazon to build state-of-the-art data center campuses across the Commonwealth, including right here in Bucks County. We’re not just talking about economic development, we’re delivering it: creating thousands of good-paying jobs, generating new revenue for our local communities, and making it easier for companies to build and
grow in Pennsylvania. From modernizing our permitting processes to investing in workforce development, we’re creating real opportunity for Pennsylvania workers and families — and ensuring the future of AI and innovation runs right through the Commonwealth.”
The Falls Township data center project is one of many major developments benefitting from the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to make government move at the speed of business. Commonwealth agencies, including DEP, worked closely with NorthPoint and local partners to ensure necessary environmental permits were processed quickly and responsibly.
“At DEP, our mission is to protect Pennsylvania’s air, land, and water — and to partner with individuals, communities,and businesses to tackle today’s environmental challenges and prepare for the future,” said Secretary Shirley.
“Under the Shapiro Administration, we’re focused on making DEP a more predictable, transparent, efficient, and consistent agency for everyone we work with — from local leaders to companies like Amazon. That’s why we’ve launched new tools to improve the experience of working with DEP, including the Governor’s PAyback Program, which returns application fees if we don’t make a permitting decision within a set timeframe. I’m proud to say we’ve issued over 68,000 permits with zero refunds — a real point of pride for our staff across the Commonwealth who are delivering results every day.”
,Credit: Commonwealth Media Services
The Office of Transformation and Opportunity (OTO) has worked closely with DEP and NorthPoint Development to keep the permitting process on track — including accelerating the review of the project’s air quality permit, which was completed in less than four months instead of the standard six. Additional permits are being processed faster than typical processing times, including a key construction erosion and sediment control permit, which is on track to be reviewed by mid-October — two and a half months ahead of the standard timeline — ensuring the project continues to progress without delay.
This project is part of the PA Permit Fast Track Program, which Governor Shapiro launched last fall to help major development and infrastructure projects navigate permitting, licensing, and certification processes more efficiently.
The Shapiro Administration is working with NorthPoint Development to coordinate and process permit applications in
a timely manner – and permit processing information is posted on the FastTrack dashboard. The Keystone Trade Center — once home to a major steel mill — is being reimagined as a hub for advanced technology and logistics. NorthPoint’s ongoing redevelopment has already attracted global tenants — and the Commonwealth’s proactive permitting support is helping unlock even more potential. Since breaking ground in 2022,
NorthPoint has transformed the site into a modern logistics campus, with more than 5.5 million square feet already leased to top-tier global, national, and regional tenants.
“NorthPoint Development is proud to stand alongside Governor Shapiro and the Commonwealth to advance economic growth in Pennsylvania,” said Jeremy Michael, EVP of Digital Infrastructure, NorthPoint Development. “With the Governor’s support and the leadership of the Office of Transformation and Opportunity, we’ve completed over 90 percent of the site-wide remediation at the Keystone Trade Center, developed more than 5 million square feet of new warehouse and distribution space, and created thousands of permanent and construction jobs.”
“My Administration is proving that government can work at the speed of business – and that when we work together, we can bring game-changing projects like this Amazon data center campus to Pennsylvania,” said Shapiro. “This project is part of the largest private sector investment in Pennsylvania history – an initial $20 billion commitment from Amazon to build state-of-the-art data center campuses across the Commonwealth, including right here in Bucks County. We’re not just talking about economic development, we’re delivering it: creating thousands of good-paying jobs, generating new revenue for our local communities, and making it easier for companies to build and grow in Pennsylvania. From modernizing our permitting processes to investing in workforce development, we’re creating real opportunity for Pennsylvania workers and families – and ensuring the future of AI and innovation runs right through the Commonwealth.”
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