Whitemarsh Township is moving quickly to adopt an ordinance to address data centers. On July 15th, the township’s planning commission reviewed a draft of the ordinance, developed with the assistance of a Montgomery County planner, that would allow data centers by conditional use within six of the township’s zoning districts and outline regulations such as required distances from sensitive areas, energy generation, noise, and decommissioning.

Pennsylvania state law prohibits municipalities from banning a legal land use, and Montgomery County, in collaboration with Chester County, developed a document to guide municipalities when drafting a data center ordinance. Whitemarsh Township used the county’s document, along with a model ordinance from PennFuture, to develop its proposed ordinance.

The proposed ordinance is now on the August 13th agenda for Whitemarsh Township’s board of supervisors. The supervisors will consider whether to advertise a hearing for the ordinance. After that scheduled hearing, the board can vote on whether to adopt the ordinance.

Whitemarsh is the latest local municipality to address the issue through an ordinance. West Conshohocken and Upper Merion previously adopted a similar ordinance. Norristown and Lower Gwynedd are currently working on a proposed ordinance.

You can review the proposed ordinance here.

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