Luzerne County reviews proposed data center zoning amendment
Luzerne County is reviewing a proposed zoning ordinance amendment for data centers that would mandate more extensive special exception approval from the county's Zoning Hearing Board. This amendment would apply to 19 municipalities within the county that rely on county zoning. The County Planning Commission has already recommended the amendment to the County Council.
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is currently reviewing a proposed amendment to its data center zoning ordinance. The amendment is under examination by the county law office and has already received a recommendation from the County Planning Commission, which voted in May to endorse it after four revisions and several public comment sessions.
This proposed amendment would establish an exhaustive set of conditions for data centers and mandate a more extensive special exception approval process from the county's Zoning Hearing Board for all data center requests. If approved by the County Council, these new regulations would apply to 19 municipalities that depend on county zoning rather than managing their own.
The process for approval by the County Council involves an introduction vote, followed by a public hearing, and then a majority council approval at a subsequent meeting. The move comes as part of the county manager's monthly division report.