East Buffalo Township to vote on data center ordinance Oct. 12
East Buffalo Township in Pennsylvania is preparing to hold a public meeting on October 12 to consider final approval of a new ordinance regulating large-scale data centers. The proposed ordinance would restrict these facilities to the Industrial Zoning District and require special exception approval from the zoning hearing board. This follows a previous ordinance passed last year that addressed smaller-scale cryptocurrency and data mining operations.
East Buffalo Township is set to hold a public meeting on October 12 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss and potentially grant final approval to a new data center ordinance. The public hearing will take place at the township meeting room, allowing for public comment before the supervisors make a decision.
According to Supervisor Chair Jim Knight, the ordinance establishes specific conditions that data centers must meet for approval. This new regulation specifically targets larger commercial data centers, building upon an earlier ordinance passed last year that only addressed smaller-scale cryptocurrency and data mining operations. The proposed ordinance confines large-scale data centers to the township's Industrial Zoning District (I-1).
Township Manager Jolene Helwig explained that large-scale data center projects, defined as those occupying more than three lot sizes, will require approval as a special exception from the zoning hearing board. Smaller data center projects will go before the planning commission, with the supervisors providing final approval as a conditional use. Currently, only properties occupied by Giant, the Miller Center for Recreation and Wellness, or the Lewisburg Liquidation Center in the industrial zone meet the size criteria, meaning an existing business would need to close for a data center to be developed there.