Columbia Borough delays data center rules as it considers more extensive regulation
Columbia Borough Council postponed consideration of a zoning amendment that would prohibit data centers in the Light Business District and require conditional-use approval in industrial districts. The council plans to discuss the proposal further, with a vote possibly occurring in December, while county planners recommended additional rules addressing noise, water availability, generators and emergency response.
Columbia Borough Council delayed a vote on proposed zoning changes governing data centers. The amendment would prohibit data centers in the borough’s Light Business District, where they are currently permitted by right, and allow them as conditional uses in the Light Industrial and General Industrial districts to better protect nearby residential areas.
The Lancaster County Planning Department recommended approval with changes, including consideration of limiting data centers to the General Industrial District and adding standards for noise, generator testing, water availability and emergency response. Borough solicitor Evan Gabel said a vote likely will not occur until December. The council also heard Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development recommendations for consolidating the borough’s 17 zoning districts, but that advisory framework does not yet change existing regulations.