Planning Commission asks Board to prioritize five ordinances, from ADUs to data centers

The Springfield Township Planning Commission on Feb. 4 asked the Board of Supervisors to prioritize five ordinance topics and to indicate which items it will not pursue.

Commissioners identified Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Short‑Term Rentals (STRs), Data Centers, a Noise Ordinance and regulations for Event Venues as their top five priorities. The panel agreed to send the Board a concise “oneparagraph” summary of each topic and to ask supervisors to 'redline' those they will not entertain and rank the remainder, a step commissioners said is intended to keep joint meetings focused and efficient.

Angela Kelly and Board Liaison Jim Hopkins emphasized that persuading the Board will require targeting which three of the five supervisors are most likely to support any particular ordinance. Commissioners assigned leads for topics: Travis Pantaleo will lead the data‑center discussion; members were asked to prepare 30‑second elevator speeches on assigned topics to streamline the upcoming Board conversation.

Members raised specific implementation concerns: enforcement resources for a Noise Ordinance (whether police or staff could respond to complaints), outstanding obstacles that stalled passage of Event Venue rules in the past, and that ADUs and STRs have been "buried" in prior work and need fresh prioritization. The Commission said it will pursue the joint meetings the Board plans with advisory groups to advance these priorities.

The Commission approved minutes and adjourned later in the meeting; no final Board action on any ordinance was taken at this session.