Douglass (Mont.) to pull out of regional planning group
Douglass Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has voted to withdraw from the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee. This decision stems from North Coventry Township's uncommunicated study identifying potential data center sites within Douglass, despite Douglass already having zoning for data centers and now actively working to make those regulations more restrictive. The withdrawal makes other municipalities in the compact more vulnerable to data center zoning challenges.
Douglass Township supervisors in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, have unanimously voted to begin the process of withdrawing from the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee. This significant decision was prompted by the discovery that North Coventry Township, a fellow member of the eight-municipality compact, had commissioned a study to identify suitable data center locations within Douglass, all without any communication or consultation with Douglass officials.
The controversy arose because Douglass Township had previously updated its zoning ordinance to include language allowing data centers. Under the regional planning commission's rules, this allowed other member townships to forgo such zoning themselves. Douglass officials, particularly Chairman Josh Stouch, expressed outrage, calling North Coventry's actions "inappropriate and unprofessional." Stouch also noted that the LTL Consultants' report contained inaccuracies regarding available development sites. He clarified that Douglass's current data center zoning was enacted before the recent surge in hyperscale data center proposals and that the township is actively working to implement even more restrictive measures.
Andrew Duncan, Douglass's zoning and code enforcement officer, highlighted that the benefits of the regional planning committee had diminished for Douglass. He suggested that Douglass might be better served by forming a new regional planning committee with neighboring towns like New Hanover, Boyertown, and Washington. The township's solicitor, Wendy McKenna, confirmed that the withdrawal process requires a public hearing and advised authorization to facilitate the necessary steps, which was approved. Douglass's withdrawal raises questions about its impact on the draft comprehensive regional plan awaiting adoption.