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Resident urges Berks County municipalities to update zoning to address data center impacts
Summary
Kutztown resident Viola Bach urged the commissioners to press municipalities to adopt ordinances or use the municipalities planning code curative amendment to impose moratoria while revising ordinances, citing water, energy, and environmental concerns and urging quick action; Chair Leinbach said county planning distributed guidance to 72 municipalities and noted only one had adopted an ordinance so far.
Viola Bach of Kutztown used the public comment period to urge Berks County and its municipalities to prepare for the growth of large hyperscale data centers by updating local zoning and land-use ordinances. She said such facilities "can cover hundreds of acres" and raised concerns about electricity and water use, backup diesel generators and their emissions, and effects on utility costs for other consumers. Bach said, as she had in materials she left with the board, that "Currently 38 new data centers are planned to be built in Pennsylvania" and urged municipalities to consider the curative amendment in the Municipalities Planning Code (Section 609.2) to impose a 180-day moratorium while ordinances are updated.
Chair Leinbach responded that the Berks County Planning Commission has developed guidance and distributed planning advice to municipalities (he said the guidance was sent to 72 municipalities and is available on the county planning web page), but he emphasized that Pennsylvania law gives zoning authority to municipalities, not the county. Leinbach told the audience only one municipality identified in the meeting as "Kumru Township" had so far adopted an ordinance addressing data centers in conjunction with the county planning commission. He encouraged municipalities to use the county's resources and listed the planning advice PDF and related links as available references.
Bach cited external groups and resources, including a model ordinance and webinars from organizations such as PennFuture and the Delaware Riverkeeper; the transcript records these as the commenter’s references. Chair Leinbach cautioned against unregulated development, referenced a prior example where a project proceeded before local rules were in place (a utility-scale solar project in Lyons), and urged municipalities to act proactively.
