Competing timelines: Clinton considers options for data center regulations

Clinton Township, Pennsylvania, is evaluating its options for regulating data center developments, including amending its Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) or implementing new zoning regulations. Interim solicitor Ron Bugaj advised the Clinton Township Board of Supervisors on the timelines and protections offered by each approach, noting that a SALDO amendment could be in place within two to three months but may be vulnerable to litigation, while comprehensive zoning could take six to 12 months.

The township has been working on a SALDO amendment for several months and, in April, instituted a six-month moratorium on data center development, though its effectiveness is now being questioned. On April 30, Linde Corporation submitted an application for a 682-acre data center project. However, the planning commission deemed this application incomplete in early June, requiring Linde to revise and resubmit.

Bugaj emphasized the potential race between the township's enactment of the SALDO amendment and Linde's resubmission of a completed application. If Linde's application is accepted as complete before the amendment passes, the project would be grandfathered under existing rules. Supervisor Brian Non, previously hesitant about zoning, indicated a shift in perspective, stating that zoning might be necessary to protect the community's way of life in light of the current development pressures.