East Buffalo Township moves to tighten data center rules

East Buffalo Township moved to write tougher rules for large data centers before a major proposal fully lands in its lap, directing solicitor Peter Matson of Lewisburg to draft an ordinance aimed at industrial-scale projects. Supervisors already have a rule on the books for smaller cryptocurrency and data-mining facilities, but they now want a separate framework for the much larger commercial campuses being discussed in Union County.

The timing matters because PNK Group has told residents it could build up to four data centers at Great Stream Commons along Route 15, in the Allenwood area. Later reporting described the site as a 667-acre industrial-business park north of Allenwood, and one account said a proposed building there could reach 478,400 square feet. That scale is exactly why township officials appear to be moving now, before the zoning code is tested by a specific application.

Residents pressed those same worries at an April 2 open house, where questions centered on environmental impact, power use and water use. The discussion has become more than a land-use dispute: neighbors want to know how much electricity a campus of that size would draw, what kind of noise backup generators and cooling systems would create, how much truck traffic construction would add, and whether local roads and utility systems would need upgrades that taxpayers or ratepayers would ultimately absorb.

A Pennsylvania township legal memo on data centers lays out the tools municipalities can use. Local governments can define data centers as a distinct land use, require conditional-use or special-exception hearings, and regulate setbacks, buffering, landscaping, stormwater, noise, vibration, lighting, generators and fuel storage. The same memo also warns that townships cannot simply ban data centers outright and should not adopt standards without technical support, which makes the wording of East Buffalo's draft ordinance especially important for nearby property owners and future applicants.

The regional pressure is not limited to East Buffalo. PNK Group has also pursued zoning changes in Gregg Township at 198 Enterprise Blvd. in Allenwood, and a June 1 public hearing on that curative amendment was postponed so township officials could get more information from an acoustical engineer on noise levels and limits. Around Union County, the central question is no longer whether data centers are coming, but what local rules will control them, what approvals they will need, and whether the county ends up with tax revenue, utility strain, or both.