Perry County planners recommend stricter noise limits, monitoring in response to Watts Township data‑center ordinance

The Perry County Planning Commission on Jan. 21 voted to send Watts Township a formal comment letter on a draft data‑center ordinance, urging the township to tighten noise limits and add post‑construction monitoring and enforcement.

Commission staff described a draft ordinance that included an 80‑decibel threshold for certain measurements. Commissioners said that level is unusually high in a rural county setting and could pose long‑term quality‑of‑life impacts for nearby residents. The commission’s suggested revisions, which it asked to include in the letter to Watts Township, call for a daytime maximum of 65 decibels and a nighttime maximum of 55 decibels measured at the property line, plus language requiring post‑construction monitoring and remediation if limits are exceeded.

Members framed the request as safety‑and‑nuisance mitigation rather than a prohibition of data‑center investment. Commissioners noted other points they want the township to address: decommissioning requirements for facilities at the end of life; limits or controls on facility water consumption and cooling systems (including preference for closed‑loop cooling); setbacks and screening to reduce sound transfer; and consideration of on‑site energy offsets such as solar coupled with battery storage to limit peak grid demand.

The commission discussed measurement methodology and cumulative impacts, noting that sound from a steady industrial source adds to existing highway and train noise and that measurement location and modeling approach affect outcomes. Commissioners also discussed physical mitigation options — vegetative buffers, berms, solid fences or concrete sound walls — and the different maintenance burdens and effectiveness each option brings.

Staff encouraged Watts Township and PennDOT coordination on signage and siting where electric vehicle infrastructure (NEVI) and transmission corridors intersect with potential data‑center locations. The commission’s letter will be advisory; Watts Township retains authority to adopt or amend its ordinance, including language specific to measurement methods, setbacks and enforcement.

The commission approved sending the comment letter after debate and directed staff to include the revised noise thresholds and a recommendation for an enforceable post‑construction monitoring program. The letter is intended for use in Watts Township’s public hearing and ordinance review process.

What happens next: Watts Township will hold its own public hearing and consider revisions; the Perry County Planning Commission’s comments will be part of the public record submitted before that hearing.