Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning And Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lower Allen to advertise data‑center zoning amendment after board adds buffers and well protections
Summary
The board authorized advertising proposed ordinance 2026‑04 to regulate data centers as a conditional use, adding three amendments (500‑foot buffer, remove mineral‑recovery I2 as eligible district, and require mapping of wells within a pumping well’s zone of influence); public hearing set for July 13, 2026 at 5 p.m.
The Lower Allen Township Board of Commissioners voted to authorize advertisement of proposed ordinance 2026‑04, a text amendment to Chapter 220 to create specific standards and conditional‑use review for data centers, after directing staff to add three provisions to the draft.
Director Sweeney summarized the 10‑page draft as an effort to address data centers proactively rather than treating them as permitted‑by‑right under the current NAICS classification. He described the township’s concerns as principally noise, water usage, and energy impacts, and outlined proposed performance standards that include more stringent daytime/nighttime dBA and dBC thresholds, groundwater and surface‑water analysis for significant water users, requirements for decommissioning (e‑waste handling), and limits on auxiliary power to temporary generator use.
"When somebody says it's going to the cloud, it's not actually going to the cloud, right? It's going to a data center somewhere," Director Sweeney said, explaining why the township needs defined standards.
Commissioners probed the draft on several fronts: the mineral‑recovery (I2) district was discussed as a potential location because of water availability in closed quarries, but commissioners raised past problems in specific quarries (dewatering and sinkholes) and asked for stronger geologic review if I2 sites are considered. Several commissioners advocated for a more conservative approach to setbacks, noise and groundwater protections. County planning comments recommending more flexibility on on‑site energy production were noted but not adopted in this motion.
To address these concerns the board directed three explicit edits before advertisement: (1) increase buffering/screening to a 500‑foot buffer for eligible industrial zones, (2) remove the I2 mineral‑recovery district from the list of eligible districts for data centers, and (3) add clear language requiring applicants to identify all wells within the calculated zone of influence of any proposed pumping wells and provide mitigation for impacted wells. With those directions, the board authorized staff to advertise the ordinance and scheduled a public hearing for July 13, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
Next steps: The ordinance will be advertised with the directed edits; the public hearing will allow residents and other stakeholders to comment and may trigger further revisions prior to any final enactment.
