Planning commission recommends new data center zoning rule
The Mercer County Regional Planning Commission unanimously recommended a countywide zoning ordinance to regulate data center construction. This recommendation will now go to the Mercer County commissioners for their decision. Existing local ordinances in communities like Hermitage would supersede the county rule.
The Mercer County Regional Planning Commission held its regular meeting on Tuesday, with a strong turnout. During the meeting, the commission unanimously approved a recommendation for a county-wide zoning ordinance designed to regulate the construction of data centers across Mercer County, Pennsylvania. This proposed ordinance, explained by Bill Anthony, chairman of the Mercer County Planning Commission, and Doniele Russell, executive director of the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission, is intended to provide regulatory oversight for future data center developments.
However, the commission noted that many individual communities within Mercer County, such as Hermitage, already possess their own superseding ordinances that would take precedence over any county-level regulations. The recommendation from the planning commission will now be forwarded to the Mercer County commissioners, who retain the authority to either accept, reject, or modify the proposed zoning ordinance. It was also clarified that this new recommendation would not impact the recently proposed data centers in Sharon, indicating it targets future projects.