Whitemarsh Township's Board of Supervisors will vote Thursday, Aug. 13, on whether to formally advertise a data center zoning ordinance, the last procedural step before a public hearing and potential adoption.
The Planning Commission was scheduled to complete its review of the draft ordinance at its Tuesday, Aug. 11, meeting, the final planning step before the supervisors' vote. No data center developer has filed an application in Whitemarsh yet.
That stands in sharp contrast to neighboring Plymouth Township, where residents nearly filled a 750-seat auditorium to fight a proposed 2-million-square-foot data center at the former Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill site on 900 Conshohocken Road. Only five people attended the Whitemarsh Planning Commission's hearing on the ordinance, MoreThanTheCurve reported Aug. 7.
"Our responsibility is not to oppose development. It is to ensure that if development is proposed, it occurs in a manner that protects our residents, our neighborhoods and the community we are all very proud to serve," Plymouth Township Council Chairwoman Lynne Viscio said July 27, formally announcing the council's opposition to the 900 Conshohocken Road application.
What the ordinance requires
The draft ordinance would allow data centers by conditional use in six industrial and research zoning districts. Key protections include:
- A 500-foot setback from any residential district, residentially used property, school, daycare, hospital or community center
- A 250-foot setback from all property lines for principal buildings, accessory uses and truck idling areas
- A minimum 5-acre lot for facilities over 100,000 square feet
- Closed-loop water cooling systems required; alternatives allowed only if they use less water and energy
- Battery storage prioritized over diesel backup generators; any diesel units must meet EPA Tier 4 emission standards
- Diesel generator testing limited to 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Friday, capped at 100 hours per year, with 72 hours' advance notice to the township
- Facilities under 50 megawatts must source at least 10% of power from renewables; those over 50 MW must source at least 25%
- A 50-foot landscape buffer of native, drought-tolerant plantings between data centers and any adjoining residential area or public road
- LEED v5 Data Centers certification required
The ordinance was developed with help from a Montgomery County planner and draws on guidance produced jointly by Montgomery and Chester counties, as well as a model ordinance from PennFuture.
What happens next
If supervisors vote to advertise Thursday, the township must hold a public hearing before the board can vote on final adoption. That hearing date has not been announced.
The township posted a civic alert stating the board will consider advertising an ordinance that protects the health, safety and welfare of the community from potential adverse impacts of data centers.
West Conshohocken and Upper Merion have already adopted similar ordinances. Norristown and Lower Gwynedd are working on their own. Pennsylvania law prohibits municipalities from banning a legal land use outright, which is why townships are drafting conditional-use rules rather than bans.
As reported Aug. 7, the full ordinance text is available on the township website. Residents can contact the Planning and Zoning Department at 616 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, or call 610-825-3535.
