Resident urges Carlisle to adopt ordinance to block data centers, schedules town hall

A lifelong Carlisle resident urged borough council on June 3 to adopt a model ordinance to disincentivize or block data center development, citing concerns about resource use, pollution, noise and limited community benefit.

Nathan Smith, who identified himself as living at 41 Southeast Street, told the council he has worked with a local group, the Stewards of Cumberland County, and reviewed model ordinances from advocacy groups including PennFuture. He said data centers "use a crazy amount of resources," can increase utility bills, create air and water pollution and generate noise, and urged Carlisle to be proactive rather than get "caught off guard." Smith said the REC could pursue redevelopment of the Frog Switch demolition site, which he said is adjacent to his home, and that possibility motivated his advocacy.

Smith asked the borough to consider what he called a "protective data center model ordinance," and said he emailed the draft to councilors the previous day and brought two printed copies for council members. He described provisions that, in his view, could limit harms — for example, rules prioritizing backup batteries over diesel generators during planned outages — but said he is not a lawyer and did not purport to know how his draft would integrate with existing borough codes.

Smith also invited councilors and residents to a town-hall-style panel on Thursday, June 11 at the Carlisle Theater (doors 6:00 p.m., program 7:00 p.m.) that he said will include independent experts on water, electricity, land use and geology and will focus on answering audience questions. He offered to meet with councilors individually and provided his contact information for follow-up.

No council action on the topic was recorded during the meeting; the comment was delivered during the public-comment portion of the agenda. The council moved on to the consent agenda and other business after Smith concluded his remarks.