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Middletown supervisors begin drafting data-center zoning rules as residents raise environmental, noise and water concerns
Summary
Township staff presented a third draft of a data‑center zoning ordinance that would make data centers a conditional use in the M1 district; supervisors and residents pressed for stricter noise limits, on‑site renewable energy requirements, and protections for wells and local waterways. No vote was taken.
Township Planner Jim Ennis opened a policy discussion June 8 on a draft data‑center zoning ordinance intended to make data centers a conditional use in the M1 Light Manufacturing zoning district.
Ennis said the six‑page draft combines provisions from other Pennsylvania ordinances and guidance from the Bucks County and Montgomery County planning commissions. The draft would require conditional‑use review, setbacks from ‘sensitive receptors’ (residences, schools, day cares and long‑term care facilities), energy‑use documentation, noise and vibration limits, environmental reviews, and emergency‑management plans. “We’re trying to put those guardrails in,” Ennis said.
Supervisors and residents asked for specific protections. Supervisor [functional label: Supervisor Concern] questioned a proposed 75‑decibel standard, calling it “pretty loud” and asked whether the threshold could be reduced; Ennis said he would review the level and noted it currently mirrors the township’s existing noise ordinance. Another supervisor asked whether the draft could require a minimum percentage of on‑site renewable energy; Ennis said the draft already addresses energy but that he would consider strengthening on‑site requirements using county model language.
Residents and board members asked whether the ordinance could protect local water resources and private wells from heavy water use by data centers. Ennis said he would explore adding bodies of water and well protections to the draft while ensuring the language would survive legal review to avoid being exclusionary zoning.
Ennis said the draft is intended to give the township clearer standards should a proposal appear; it does not indicate an applicant is pending. He recommended forwarding the draft to the Bucks County Planning Commission and scheduling review by the township’s Planning Commission. No action was taken at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will continue drafting the ordinance in consultation with the solicitor and county planners and expect to present the proposal to the Planning Commission for review, with possible further board consideration in the fall.
