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Council OKs first reading of ordinance that would ban data centers boroughwide
Summary
Council approved Ordinance 2026-04 on first reading to designate data centers as a nonpermitted use in all borough zones, citing concerns in the ordinance about large data centers' water and energy use and community impacts; public hearing to follow prior to adoption.
The Washington Borough Council approved Ordinance 2026-04 on first reading Feb. 17, 2026, which would amend the zoning code to list "Data Center" as a prohibited use in all zoning districts if adopted. The ordinance text cites the borough's master plan and states municipal concerns about data centers’ scale, electricity and water use, noise, air quality and effects on community character.
The ordinance includes language summarizing preliminary state-level data cited by legislators, noting that some large data centers can use "as much as 3 to 5 million gallons of water in a single day" and that some facilities may require up to 300 MW of power. If adopted after public hearing and required referrals to planning bodies, the change would add a definition of "Data Center" to Chapter 94 and explicitly bar the land use within the borough. Council approved first reading (motion by Musick; second Infinito) with a 7–0 roll call.
Councilmember Matteo acknowledged county-level action pushing back against data centers and thanked Commissioner James Kern for that work in his remarks later in the meeting.
