Lower Allen Township holds public hearing on proposed data‑center zoning ordinance

Lower Allen Township held a public hearing on July 13 on Ordinance 2026‑04, a proposed zoning amendment that would remove data centers from commercial districts and allow them only by conditional use in specified industrial zones. Jennifer Caron, president of the Board of Commissioners, opened the hearing and said the change would not categorically ban data centers but would require more review before one could be built.

Isaac Sweeney, the township’s director of community and economic development, introduced consultant Frank Khlebnikow of Ritu Associates, who described the draft ordinance and the township’s reasons for proposing it. Khlebnikow said the rule would cover a broad range of facilities — “enterprise data centers, managed data centers, colocation data centers, cloud data centers, edge data centers, hyperscale data centers, cryptocurrency mining… and server farms” — and noted the township had seen rising interest in Cumberland County. He said the ordinance is intended to "get out in front" of potential proposals and to channel larger facilities to industrial districts.

Under the draft language, data centers would remain legal uses but would no longer be permitted by right in the C‑2 (General Commercial) or C‑3 (Business Park) districts; instead they would be permitted only in the I‑1 (General Industrial), I‑2 (Mineral Recovery) and I‑3 (Industrial Commercial) districts following a conditional‑use hearing and subsequent land‑development review. "Before a data center could be submitted to the township they have to go through a conditional use hearing with the board of commissioners," Khlebnikow said, adding that the conditional‑use process gives the public multiple opportunities to comment.

Khlebnikow described performance standards the ordinance would impose. For noise, he cited both A‑weighted and C‑weighted measures: daytime dBA limits are proposed at 45 dBA with a lower evening threshold after 7 p.m., and dBC limits of about 60 dBC during the day and 50 dBC at night, reflecting the draft’s attempt to account for both perceptible "bass" noise and conventional decibel measures. On utilities, the ordinance would require certification from energy providers that transmission and supply can support a proposed facility and would require connection to public sewer. Groundwater use would trigger pre‑construction studies and professional attestations to show that wells — public or private — would not be harmed; Khlebnikow also noted potential requirements for aquifer testing and ongoing monitoring tied to a defined zone of influence. The draft includes a decommissioning plan to manage e‑waste and enable site reuse, and provisions governing backup generators and coordination with emergency management and first responders.

During commissioner questions, the township solicitor (identified in the record as Minor) cautioned that Pennsylvania law and case law under the Municipalities Planning Code limit a municipality’s ability to simply exclude a lawful use. "You cannot exclude a use because you just don't like it," the solicitor said, warning that exclusionary attempts can be challenged in court. Commissioners discussed tightening groundwater monitoring language — one commissioner suggested tying monitoring obligations to the aquifer's zone of influence rather than a fixed distance — and staff said that can be accommodated in final language.

Several residents spoke during public testimony. Janie Gunn asked whether an existing data center in the township could expand capacity within its current footprint; staff said accessory expansions consistent with what was presented to the township could proceed under existing permits, but expansions beyond what was testified would usually require a new conditional‑use submission or land‑development review. Diego Chacon, a neighbor of Highland Park, asked whether the ordinance applies only to identified industrial zones and expressed concern about proximity to residential neighborhoods such as Lemoyne, Highland Park and Camp Hill; staff responded that pre‑ and post‑construction noise analyses, a 100‑foot residential buffer in some industrial districts and other protections are in the ordinance.

Kelly Thompson asked whether the township’s proposed noise measures are stronger than rules in other municipalities that have seen problems; officials said the township’s approach intentionally uses multiple noise metrics and that the ordinance was on the evening’s agenda for enactment so the township could act sooner than waiting for a comprehensive zoning update next spring. Andy Deibert, an industrial engineer, warned that well‑funded developers can litigate and sometimes ignore local rules; he described a local example in which a converted warehouse allegedly exceeded water estimates by roughly 16–17 times, and urged vigilance. The solicitor and staff said the township retains injunctive and other legal remedies and that utilities must certify available water and energy before construction.

The hearing closed after public testimony. The board thanked staff and the consulting team for preparing the draft and said the ordinance could be continued to a future meeting if additional work or revisions are needed. The record of testimony was stenographically preserved as required by the township’s procedure.

Next procedural steps: the ordinance was on the board’s agenda that evening for enactment; broader, comprehensive zoning updates are scheduled for spring 2027.