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Dallas planners flag potential problems in proposed data-center zoning amendment
Summary
Dallas Township Planning Commission members raised four technical concerns about a proposed data-center zoning amendment — setbacks, noise measurement locations, county decibel standards, and a 1,000-foot street buffer — and a resident urged guardrails to limit impacts.
The Dallas Township Planning Commission reviewed a proposed zoning ordinance amendment related to data centers at its March 10 meeting, and commissioners submitted technical comments for the supervisors to consider.
Planning Commission member Ryan Stoa read four written comments he and other members had emailed to the township solicitor and manager. Stoa urged clearer language that minimum setbacks apply to front, rear and side yards; recommended that noise limits permit enforcement when sound can be definitively traced to the site even if measured off the property line; noted Luzerne County uses different decibel standards that should be reconciled; and warned that section 707 H6’s blanket 1,000-foot-from-street restriction could be overly restrictive and “has the potential that the ordinance could be viewed as completely invalid,” creating access and utility problems for some lots.
Solicitor William McCall said the planning commission’s role is advisory and that Attorney Mosca and the Board of Supervisors will interpret the legal implications. "He will yield to Attorney Mosca's interpretation of the legalities of the ordinance and the proposal," McCall said, indicating the commission should forward its comments rather than attempt to adopt the ordinance language itself.
Public commenter Fern Leard thanked the commission for its detailed review and said she and others do not want data centers in the township but recognize an outright ban may be unlawful. "She stated she stands with a lot of people with not wanting them here, and understands that we cannot have exclusionary language, otherwise data centers are going to be here without guardrails," the minutes record.
Why it matters: The technical clarifications and legal concerns flagged by commissioners — especially over setbacks and the proposed 1,000-foot street buffer — could materially affect where data centers are allowed and how noise and access rules are enforced. The commission referred its comments to the township manager and supervisors for their decision.
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