Butler Twp. adopts data center ordinance, allowing industrial-zoned areas by exception
Butler Township supervisors in Luzerne County approved a 50-page ordinance regulating data centers in the township. The ordinance allows data centers in industrial-zoned areas by special exception and establishes requirements addressing noise, water consumption, environmental impacts, setbacks, building height and lot size.
Butler Township supervisors approved a zoning ordinance governing potential data center development after a heated public hearing attended by residents with concerns about the proposal and the speed of the decision. The ordinance addresses noise, water consumption, environmental impacts and proximity to neighboring properties after officials determined existing zoning rules did not specifically define or regulate data centers.
The rules allow data centers in industrial districts through a special-exception process. Developers must demonstrate compliance with all township requirements, including a minimum 25-acre site, a 50-foot building-height limit, a 100-foot setback from property lines, separation from certain zoning districts and a 600-foot buffer from designated sensitive receptors. Township attorney Sean Logsdon said the measure does not ban data centers but shifts responsibility to applicants to prove their projects meet the standards.