East Whiteland officials approve a lengthy data center ordinance, after residents decried the one being built there
The ordinance won't affect the current project being built, but puts restrictions in place for any new proposals.
As East Whiteland grapples with the community’s resounding pushback to a planned 1.5-million-square-foot data center being built, its elected officials have approved an ordinance that would set greater restrictions for any similar proposals in the future.
The board voted unanimously Thursday to approve the 32-page ordinance, after members had put a data center moratorium in place for months while they re-examined the zoning ordinance that allowed the supersized project to come into the municipality.
The ordinance doesn’t affect the project, which is slowly taking shape at the former 79-acre Cyprus Foote Mineral Co. property. But the data center’s existence, which has faced staunch community opposition, is certainly what launched the new ordinance, penned in a collaboration between township staff, consultants, and community members.
“I think this sends the right message,” said resident Tony Gianino, who served on the committee to draft the ordinance. “I know it’s been a little contentious over the last eight or nine months, and I think that we’re not looking at this as a negative, but as a positive, and as a foothold moving forward.”
East Whiteland is among a number of municipalities in Chester County and the region that have been hurriedly drafting ordinances as more data center projects arrive at their doorsteps. Public backlash against the projects has been loud as data centers, which handle the cloud-storage and computing needs of the companies behind increasingly sophisticated AI tools, have come to their communities. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who once sought to make it easier for the projects to call Pennsylvania home, has even evolved his stance.
In East Whiteland, the ordinance will establish limitations on how close a data center can be to homes, schools, daycares, parks, or churches. It addresses noise, water usage, cooling systems, power supply, and more.
It’s not a slam dunk, several said Thursday; some speakers were already suggesting amendments. State Sen. Katie Muth, who represents the area and is a frequent flier at data center meetings, suggested changes on portions of the ordinance, quipping, “I would love to have a township to refer to that has a really great ordinance. If you make those changes, you will be that township.”
Scott Lambert, the board’s chairman, acknowledged it was a living document.
“Whatever goes on the books tonight, it’s not permanent. It can be amended going forward,” he said. “We’re not locked into this particular ordinance and the specifics at this point in time.”
Still, there was applause when the officials voted to approve the measure.
But the effects of data centers don’t stop at the municipal line. East Whiteland residents have been watching nearby Charlestown, which updated its zoning to allow for data centers to be built on the East Whiteland border.
“I do hope other communities look at this and end up utilizing it, especially Charlestown,” Lambert said. “I hope they do take a look at what we have and implement, to protect both communities.”
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