Lower Merion Township is about to become the next municipality to discuss regulating data centers
Lower Merion Township officials are preparing to discuss zoning changes that would specifically regulate data centers. The proposed rules would allow them as industrial uses by special exception in light industrial districts, with setbacks, height limits and minimum lot-size requirements.
Lower Merion Township is scheduled to discuss a proposed zoning amendment addressing data centers at its next Building and Planning Committee meeting. The township currently does not define data centers as a distinct land use, but officials say their large buildings, high electricity demand, cooling systems and backup power infrastructure differ from traditional office or industrial uses.
The proposed regulations would permit data centers by special exception in the township’s light industrial district, including an area near the Schuylkill River and Interstate 76. The rules would require at least 1,000 feet of separation from residential zoning districts, cap building height at 60 feet and require a minimum five-acre site for facilities larger than 100,000 square feet. The discussion follows data center regulations adopted or proposed by nearby Radnor and Newtown townships.