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Norristown council votes to advertise proposed data‑center ordinance for public hearing
Summary
Council authorized advertisement of a proposed data‑center ordinance to regulate data centers in the borough’s heavy industrial district; municipal counsel said the law limits outright bans but the ordinance places reasonable local restrictions and will be subject to future amendment as technology evolves.
Municipal counsel presented a draft data‑center ordinance for the borough’s heavy industrial district and recommended that council authorize its advertisement so the ordinance can proceed to required public hearing and adoption steps.
The counsel summarized the legal context: under current Pennsylvania law municipalities have limited authority to ban data centers outright and that attempts to prohibit them can generate legal challenges; the proposed ordinance instead places reasonable local restrictions suitable for heavy industrial zoning while leaving room for future amendment as technology and regional practice evolve.
Council voted to advertise the ordinance for public hearing; staff said draft rules will be posted and a public hearing scheduled as part of the standard ordinance-adoption process.
Next steps: Advertisement and required public hearing(s) will precede any final adoption vote; staff and counsel indicated the ordinance can be revised in the future to reflect new information or technological changes if needed.
