East Deer commissioners take initial step toward regulating potential data centers
East Deer commissioners have taken the first step toward enacting an ordinance to regulate potential data centers within the township. The proposed regulations address building height, electricity consumption, water usage, noise limits, and setback requirements for data center developments. This move is a "curative amendment" to existing zoning, as no such regulations currently exist.
East Deer Township commissioners in Pennsylvania are moving forward with a proposed ordinance to regulate data centers, addressing concerns about their resource consumption and impact on quality of life. The commissioners recently voted to advertise the ordinance, marking the initial phase of enacting these new rules.
The proposed regulations, championed by Commissioner Jake Gigler, would confine data center development to conditional use in C-2 zoning districts. Key restrictions include a maximum building height of 60 feet and a mandatory 200-foot setback from residential districts and "sensitive receptors" such as schools and parks. The ordinance also mandates landscape buffers and sets noise limits at 67 decibels during daytime operating hours and 57 decibels at night and on weekends.
Further requirements focus on resource management, demanding documentation from public water authorities to assure water supply, or a comprehensive water study if non-public sources are used. Developers would also need to address potential impacts on electric rates and availability, with any costs to residential customers to be borne by the data center owner. Solicitor Craig Alexander confirmed that the township planning commission and Allegheny County Planning Department will review the ordinance, though their recommendations are not binding.