Mericle land eyed for data center zone in Jenkins Twp.

Jenkins Township in Pennsylvania is considering a draft amendment to its zoning ordinance that would limit data center construction to a specific 550-acre Industrial 2 district within the CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park. This land is primarily developed and controlled by Mericle Construction, though township officials stated Mericle was not involved in drafting the ordinance. The proposed amendment was unveiled by consultant Thomas Shepstone of Shepstone Management Company at a public hearing on Monday. The initiative aims to proactively regulate data centers, with officials noting that state law requires municipalities to allow for all legal business types through non-discriminatory zoning. Solicitor Joseph Blazosek emphasized that supervisors are trying to prevent future issues. The township's planning commission recommended increasing setbacks to 1,000 feet from property lines and imposing strict water and power usage restrictions. While several dozen residents attended the meeting and expressed concerns, particularly about restricting data centers to the designated overlay zone, the debate was not as contentious as similar meetings in other Northeast Pennsylvania municipalities. Supervisor Stanley Rovinski thanked attendees for their civility and assured that all comments would be considered before the board votes on the amendments. This move by Jenkins Township mirrors actions taken by other regional municipalities, such as Salem Township, which created a data overlay district for a data center campus near the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station nuclear power plant. E-commerce giant Amazon operates a data center in Salem Township and is expanding its presence in the region.