Lancaster City Council holds off on approving new data center rules
Lancaster City Council delayed action on new data center zoning rules due to confusion over how they would affect two projects already planned in the city. The proposed ordinance aims to regulate future data centers by limiting their placement and requiring reports on impacts like noise and energy use. Residents at the meeting expressed opposition to further data center development.
Lancaster City Council has postponed a decision on a proposed zoning ordinance amendment concerning data centers, opting to table the vote until its next meeting on July 14. The delay, approved by a 5-1 vote with Council member Nancy Millan dissenting, stemmed from council members' confusion over whether the new rules would apply to two data center projects already planned within the city.
City staff clarified that the intent of the ordinance was to apply only to future data center proposals, not the existing projects on Greenfield Road and Harrisburg Pike, which are being developed by Chirisa Technology Parks and are already bound by a community benefits agreement with similar regulations. The proposed amendment seeks to restrict new data centers to a single zoning district, subject to zoning hearing board approval, and would mandate reports on factors such as noise, energy and water usage, decommissioning, heat mitigation, and emergency response.
Despite the ambiguity, Councilman Marshall Miller and other members stressed the urgency of enacting new protections, noting the city's current lack of control over data center locations. Approximately a dozen residents attended the meeting, with many voicing strong opposition to any rules that would facilitate the development of more data centers in Lancaster.