Lowhill Township Proposes Tiered Regulations for Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure
Lowhill Township is revising its data center ordinance to create different regulatory tiers for large and smaller digital infrastructure facilities. The proposed rules would preserve environmental protections and impose stricter oversight on projects requiring at least 50 megawatts of electricity, although the township has not received a formal data center proposal.
Lowhill Township is updating its data center ordinance to account for the growth of artificial intelligence and the possibility that smaller businesses and households will install on-site computing infrastructure. The proposed framework would use tiered performance standards, with simpler approval processes for smaller facilities and heightened regulation for digital infrastructure requiring at least 50 megawatts of electricity.
The revised ordinance was submitted to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission in September and was expected to go before the township supervisors in November. Township officials said the update would strengthen environmental protections in a largely rural community where more than 60% of the land is in environmental protection zones. Lowhill has not received a formal data center proposal but is participating in a broader Lehigh County effort to guide future development.