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Tarentum moves forward with draft ordinances to regulate data centers, crypto and large computing uses
Summary
Council reviewed three draft ordinances (zoning, electric, water) creating conditional-use standards and infrastructure safeguards for large computing facilities; staff was directed to tighten language and send the zoning draft to the planning commission and legal review.
Tarentum Borough Council discussed three draft ordinances intended to regulate the location and operation of data centers, cryptocurrency mining and other large computing facilities and directed staff to advance the drafts for planning and legal review.
Borough manager Dwight Bottom said the zoning draft outlines where facilities may be allowed and would include conditional-use standards, buffering, noise controls and utility impact studies. He said the electric and water drafts would require engineering and hydraulic studies, special service agreements and protections to ensure existing ratepayers are not assessed the cost of system upgrades. “Some of these facilities would be using more electricity and capacity in a day than the entire town uses and that would put a serious strain on our grid,” Bottom said.
Junior council person Gavin Kilgore raised environmental concerns tied to water use and cooling methods. “If they pump in and filter that water, they’re going to filter out all of the natural micro wildlife in it. We have four endangered species of mussels and clams and also a lot of different fish,” Kilgore said, arguing that intake and warmer discharge could harm those species and increase treatment costs for the borough’s water plant.
Council members discussed location constraints — many residential wards are zoned R-1 and would require rezoning to host a large facility — and the practical challenges for developers, including land, road access and utility infrastructure. Managers emphasized that where permitting is allowed the draft ordinances aim to place the costs of necessary local grid or water upgrades on the developer, not existing customers.
Council granted staff permission to continue refining the ordinances, recommended sending the zoning draft to the planning commission, and requested legal review before any advertisement or formal vote. Staff also said they would consult specialized municipal electric engineering and legal resources as needed.
The council’s action sets the borough on a path to formalize rules for large computing uses; no final land-use approvals or permits were issued at this meeting.
