Whitemarsh Township residents get their first chance to weigh in on rules that would govern how and where data centers could be built in the township on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The Board of Supervisors is holding a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. at the Township Building on a proposed zoning ordinance regulating data centers. No developer has applied yet. The township described the effort as proactive, aimed at having regulations in place before any developer applies, according to an official township announcement.
Pennsylvania law prohibits municipalities from banning legal land uses, including data centers. That legal reality is driving Whitemarsh and neighboring municipalities to write rules rather than try to block the industry outright.
What the draft ordinance requires
The draft ordinance would allow data centers only through conditional-use approval in six zoning districts: Administrative and Research, Campus-Type Limited Industrial, Modified Campus-Type Limited Industrial, Extraction, Heavy Industrial and Limited Industrial.
Data center buildings, accessory structures and truck idling areas would need to sit at least 250 feet from all property lines.
That buffer jumps to 500 feet near homes. The larger setback applies to any residential district, residentially used property, or "sensitive receptor," a category covering schools, daycare centers, hospitals and community centers. Facilities over 100,000 square feet would need a minimum lot of 5 acres.
The ordinance also sets energy and environmental standards. Data centers drawing up to 50 megawatts of power would have to source at least 10% from renewable generation within the PJM regional power grid. Facilities above 50 megawatts would need 25%. All data centers would have to meet LEED v5 building certification for data centers or an equivalent standard approved by the township engineer.
Diesel backup generators would be limited to emergency outages and routine testing, capped at 100 hours per year. Testing would be restricted to 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Battery storage must be prioritized over diesel backups, and any diesel generators must meet EPA Tier 4 emission standards.
A 50-foot landscape buffer with native, drought-tolerant plantings would be required between data centers and any adjoining residential zone, sensitive receptor or public road. The township would also prohibit data centers from tapping private groundwater wells or drawing directly from surface water for cooling if a public water source is available.
Regional context
Whitemarsh is not acting in a vacuum. Neighboring Norristown Municipal Council unanimously passed its own data center ordinance on Aug. 18, setting rules for a roughly 41-acre heavy industrial area near SEPTA's Norristown Transportation Center and Plymouth Township, as Main Line Media News reported.
Norristown Councilman David McMahon said after the Aug. 18 vote, "I think it's a good standard for other towns to be a little bit tougher than what the county recommended."
In Plymouth Township, MLP Ventures CEO Brian O'Neill has proposed converting the former Cleveland-Cliffs plate finishing site at 900 Conshohocken Road into a nearly 2-million-square-foot data center. Plymouth Township Council formally opposed that application in late July. The Plymouth Township Zoning Hearing Board is scheduled to take up the application again Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Township Municipal Building.
Data center proposals have also surfaced in East Vincent, Limerick, North Coventry and Upper Merion townships.
How the ordinance was developed
Whitemarsh drew on recommendations from the Montgomery County Planning Commission and a model ordinance from Penn Future, an environmental advocacy organization, to shape the draft. The Board of Supervisors first considered advertising the ordinance at its Aug. 13 meeting.
The full draft ordinance is available on the township's website. Residents who want to comment can attend the hearing at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Whitemarsh Township Building.
