Fayette’s Springhill Township introduces data center ordinance
Springhill Township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, is developing new ordinances to create stricter limits on data center operations, including conditional use zoning, setback requirements, and noise restrictions. This action follows interest from Nadara, an independent power production company, in recruiting a data center to the area. A special meeting is scheduled for September 3 to discuss these proposed regulations, with a final vote expected in October.
Springhill Township, located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, is actively developing a comprehensive set of ordinances aimed at imposing stricter regulations on data center operations within its jurisdiction. This initiative gained urgency in June after Nadara, an independent power production company, informed the township board of its right-to-purchase agreement for 800 acres near Gans, indicating potential data center development.
The proposed data center ordinance designates data centers and their accompanying power plants as conditional uses within the township's heavy and light industrial zoning districts. Key stipulations include requiring data center buildings and equipment to be set back at least 200 feet from property lines and 400 feet from occupied homes. Electric power generation facilities face even more stringent setbacks of 500 feet and 1,500 feet, respectively. Additionally, a new noise ordinance would impose daytime limits of 55 decibels and nighttime limits of 45 decibels at the property line, along with restrictions on sub-bass frequencies.
The ordinances also mandate that data center proposals include energy production plans not reliant on the existing grid and an analysis of the company's water needs, alongside landscape buffers and decommissioning standards. Township Chairman Damon Hellen emphasized the board's intent to hold developers to high standards, while also acknowledging the need to set reasonable limits to avoid potential lawsuits that could overturn the regulations. The draft ordinances will undergo review by the township and county planning commissions, with a final vote anticipated in October.