Upper Providence Township has taken a formal step toward regulating data centers, voting Monday night to advertise a draft ordinance that would establish where and how the facilities can be built.
During the board of supervisors meeting, Director of Planning and Zoning Geoff Grace said the township developed its draft by referencing model language from both Montgomery and Chester counties, adapting it to fit local conditions. The goal, he said, is to ensure the township has clear standards in place as data centers become a more prominent development issue in the region.
Where Data Centers Would (and Wouldn’t) Be Allowed
Under the draft ordinance, data centers would be permitted primarily in M2 industrial districts, including areas in the southern portion of the township in Oaks. Smaller facilities tied to existing businesses would remain permitted in IO and IO-1 districts, around the GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer campuses, where a data center already exists.
The ordinance would classify data centers as a conditional use, meaning proposals would be reviewed by the board of supervisors rather than the zoning hearing board. The draft also includes requirements for impact studies and post-construction monitoring.
Why the Township Is Acting Now
Township officials said the move is about maintaining control over how and where data centers could be built.
Under Pennsylvania law, municipalities generally cannot ban a legitimate land use outright. If a township doesn’t allow something anywhere in its zoning code, a developer can challenge that and potentially gain approval with fewer local restrictions.
Township solicitor John McShea said having clear rules in place now gives the township more say in how those projects are handled.
“It’s better to have an ordinance which has standards which the board has approved,” McShea explained, “rather than having a curative amendment come through where a developer might be putting it on their own terms.”
Grace pointed to the scale of data center proposals in nearby communities as the kind of development the township wants to be able to meaningfully review and restrict through proper zoning standards. A proposed 1.9 million-square-foot data center in East Vincent Township and a separate project on a 191-acre campus in Limerick Township are both currently undergoing conditional use hearings.
The Pottstown Mercury reported on April 18 that a second large-scale data center in Limerick is also being proposed at the former Publicker Distillery site in Linfield.
The Upper Providence Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to advertise the ordinance. A public hearing to formally adopt it is expected within 30 to 60 days.
Earlier this month, officials in neighboring Royersford Borough made a similar move to get ahead of any potential data center development.
This article was generated with AI assistance. All content was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by John McGuire.
