Ransom Twp. supervisors approve ordinance regulating data center development
Ransom Township supervisors approved an ordinance regulating future data center development, including limits on height and lot size, industrial-zone requirements, setbacks, water-use studies, cooling technology, environmental protections and decommissioning. The action follows rejected plans by Scranton Materials and ongoing lawsuits over a proposed six-building campus, while Mudiita Land Venture LLC is pursuing a separate hyperscale project in the township.
Ransom Township supervisors approved an ordinance establishing detailed requirements for future data centers, including a 40-foot height limit, minimum eight-acre lots, 400-foot setbacks and restrictions limiting projects to industrial districts. The rules also address noise, emissions, lighting, wastewater, battery and fuel storage, emergency response, water studies, water-conserving cooling systems and decommissioning obligations.
The ordinance follows the township’s rejection of Scranton Materials’ proposal for six data centers at its 251-acre quarry property on Newton Road. Scranton Materials has appealed and filed a separate lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment, and both cases remain active. Separately, Mudiita Land Venture LLC purchased 528.6 acres for a proposed hyperscale campus, which would require conditional-use approval under the new ordinance.