Faced with massive data center proposal, this Lehigh Valley township is the latest to consider rules
Lower Mount Bethel Township's planning commission is drafting a data center ordinance, driven by an anticipated development. The proposed rules include making data centers a conditional use, setting limits on building height and setbacks, and requiring studies on noise, water, and electrical usage, as well as environmental impacts. The goal is to finalize the ordinance quickly for review.
Lower Mount Bethel Township's planning commission in Pennsylvania has begun drafting a comprehensive ordinance to regulate data center development, anticipating a significant proposal in the coming months. Commission Chair Patrick McInerney emphasized the urgency of this process, with the commission making substantial progress by adapting existing regulations from other municipalities like Lowhill Township and utilizing guides from Chester and Montgomery counties. The proposed ordinance designates data center proposals as a "conditional use," granting the township's board of supervisors greater oversight. Township Solicitor Karley Biggs Sebia and Township Engineer Justin Coyle both supported this approach, allowing for increased scrutiny of applications.
The commission is focusing on key areas of concern, including electrical and water usage, environmental impacts, building height limits (45 feet), setbacks (1,000 feet), and the requirement for hydrogeological studies and mitigation tactics. Noise pollution is a particular focus, with a requirement for narrative descriptions of operational sound impacts, including octave band analysis to account for human, farm animal, and wildlife hearing ranges, followed by post-occupancy readings. Anneke L. W. van Rossum, Advocacy and Advancement Coordinator for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, advised including language that ensures the township upholds its constitutional duties to the community and environment, even if projects comply with the ordinance, a suggestion that McInerney agreed to incorporate. The commission aims to finalize the ordinance next month for review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and public citizen review.