York County Council adopts nine-month moratorium on new data centers after hours of public comment

York County Council on July 13 adopted a nine-month temporary moratorium on new data centers in the county’s unincorporated areas, citing a need for time to study potential effects on water supplies, roads, air quality and nearby neighborhoods. The ordinance passed unanimously after an extended public hearing that drew dozens of speakers for and against the pause.

The moratorium — approved on third reading — bars consideration or issuance of special exceptions, conditional uses, site-plan acceptance and other development approvals for data centers while county staff and committees examine impacts and recommend zoning changes. Chair (speaker 1) said the pause will allow the county to "study and examine the impact of data centers on critical sources, adjacent and nearby properties and or infrastructure," language taken from the ordinance text presented on the dais.

Why it matters: Residents and nearby landowners described changes they attribute to the county’s current data-center project, including heavy truck traffic, nighttime noise, reported equipment and construction incidents, and concerns about long-term water and air impacts. Several speakers urged council to prevent additional sites from moving forward while technical reviews and ordinance updates are completed.

Residents' accounts and key claims: At the public hearing, multiple residents gave specific allegations and evidence they said supported stronger limits. John Sain (resident) described repeated property damage and safety risks from commercial rollback trucks using a shared residential driveway and asked the council to direct code enforcement to review a home-occupation permit. Frank Jernick (resident) said 911 logs included about 19 emergency calls tied to the Silfab facility and noted two confirmed chemical spills; he urged the council to be prepared to act if a court ruling changes enforcement of zoning in the area.

Other residents described operational noise and sleep disruption as ongoing harms. Debbie Zabor (resident) asked for residential noise limits, independent pre-construction noise modeling, post-construction sound testing and an enforcement process if limits are exceeded. Ken Sitchi (resident) and others said truck speeds and nighttime generator noise have disrupted daily life and asked council members to visit affected properties as part of the moratorium research.

Claims about the existing site drew vigorous attention. One speaker (speaker 41) told the council he had FOIA documents and asserted the current data-center site had "548 diesel generators" and numerous permitted emission points; he described property damage and health effects he attributed to construction and operational activity. Those are residents’ claims made in testimony and were not substantiated in the hearing record; county staff and utilities representatives did not confirm the figure on the record at the meeting.

Business and utility responses: The York County Regional Chamber of Commerce urged a balanced approach. Dean Veil, president and CEO of the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber supports "a thoughtful, balanced framework that protects our community while providing clear expectations for future projects," and described aspects of the QTS project the chamber viewed as mitigating (closed-loop cooling, commitments to fund infrastructure and community engagement). Cole Price of York Electric Cooperative told the council that large customers typically pay for dedicated facilities and that refund rules governed by FERC apply; he said protections exist to prevent ratepayers from automatically bearing the entire risk if an applicant does not meet commitments.

Council direction and next steps: Multiple council members emphasized transparency and public engagement during the moratorium period. Council asked that the record of public comments be transcribed and made available for the research phase. One council member (speaker 18) said planning and zoning staff tentatively will begin August meetings to add items to the county’s ordinance and to gather further input. The ordinance also provides for council to extend the moratorium by resolution if additional study time is needed.

What the moratorium does not do: Council members repeatedly clarified that the moratorium applies to new approvals and does not retroactively revoke vested rights or permits already granted under existing law. Several residents raised concerns that current, in-progress projects could not be altered by the moratorium; council members said legal limits on retroactive authority still apply.

The vote: After the public hearing and discussion, council voted to approve the ordinance creating the nine-month moratorium; the motion carried unanimously.

The council's action sets a nine-month window for staff, the planning and zoning committee and invited experts (and public input) to produce recommendations for amendments to York County zoning and land-use regulations addressing data centers and related infrastructure.