West Whiteland planning commission adopts Map 2, narrows draft data center rules and seeks final red-line

The West Whiteland Township Planning Commission on June 30 recommended “Map 2” as the area eligible for data-center development and advanced multiple edits to a draft data center ordinance, while debating a proposed C-weighted noise cap and limits on the Township’s enforcement powers.

Planning Director John Weller reviewed three maps that applied a 1,000-foot separation from sensitive uses and said Map 2 — which excludes the Clover Mill Road athletic fields as a sensitive receptor — increased the gross eligible acreage to about 65 acres, with roughly 18.2 acres outside the floodplain. Commissioners voted 6-0 to adopt Map 2 as the Commission’s recommendation; the motion was moved by Commissioner Todd Rouse and seconded by Commissioner Virginia Kerslake.

Weller told commissioners that, based on research cited from the NOISE Project funded by the National Science Foundation, prolonged exposure above 50 dBC can affect stress, heart disease risk and sleep quality, and he said staff was comfortable with a 50 dBC limit for C-weighted decibels. Commissioners discussed how the Township enforces noise now — primarily in response to complaints and with multiple, time-limited exceptions in the Noise Disturbance Ordinance — and whether the Township could compel immediate shutdowns for noncompliance. Commissioner Todd Rouse pressed for stronger enforcement than language that "operator will bring into compliance," but Weller said the Township’s legal remedies are limited largely to fines set by state law.

The commission also reviewed operational and permitting safeguards. The draft defines a data center to encompass the building and accessory uses (for example, back-up energy sources in separate buildings) but not the entire property; staff will add a defined term for "facility" to clarify scope. The draft requires applicants to disclose primary and backup energy sources and to provide financial security for decommissioning and closure. Priyanka Gupta related an incident she had observed where a permitted facility "has been running on generators for the last 10 months," and commissioners reiterated the draft’s intent that primary power not be installed as an accessory use and that backup generators remain accessory only.

To check real-world noise and vibration, the draft requires a post-construction report documenting noise and vibration — including measurements during testing of backup power and cooling equipment — to be submitted within three months of the first August 31 after the facility begins operations. Commissioners removed the word "fully" from that requirement to prevent operators from claiming partial operations to avoid the report. Weller also noted that applicants must pay for any outside consultant review of noise and vibration studies under the Township’s standard Reimbursement Agreement.

Other technical points the Commission asked staff to refine include measuring the 1,000-foot separation from the "property accommodating" a church or educational use (i.e., from property lines rather than building footprint), adding a conditional-use submission requirement to describe atmospheric discharges if evaporative cooling is proposed, and having the Township Solicitor review the draft definition of "church." Weller said he will prepare a red-line version incorporating the agreed edits, including implementing Map 2 as the eligible-area reference (with the map shown to the Commission but not printed in the ordinance), for final review at the July 14 meeting. A citizens’ petition from the Exton Walk community will also appear on that agenda.

During the closing minutes, resident Swati Pradhan asked about trees in the area. Weller described the Township’s compensatory planting requirement, which requires developers to inventory trees removed and replace them, plant on Township property, or pay a fee to the Township tree bank at the installed cost of required trees. The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.