Berks County Communities Urged to Update Zoning for Data Centers

Municipal officials in Pennsylvania's Berks County are being advised to proactively update their zoning regulations in anticipation of potential artificial intelligence data center proposals. The article highlights that similar hyperscale facilities in neighboring counties have faced significant citizen opposition due to their extensive land usage, astronomical consumption of electricity and water, and reliance on polluting backup diesel generators. Concerns also include increased utility costs, noise, light, and thermal pollution, and the creation of only a few permanent jobs despite large construction efforts. The Reading Eagle has previously provided information on these issues, including how to prevent or mitigate the harmful impacts of data centers. The primary recommendation is to update municipal zoning ordinances to impose restrictions on data center use. Cumru Township, located within Berks County, has already completed this process. The Berks County Planning Commission has provided guidance and model ordinances for other municipalities to adopt. Additionally, resources from Penn Future and Delaware Riverkeeper offer model data center ordinances, with the Riverkeeper specifically pointing to a section of the Municipalities Planning Code that allows for a 180-day moratorium on certain use applications while ordinances are amended. While no active data center proposals are currently in process in Berks County, officials and citizens are urged to act now to defend against future potential impacts.