As public pushback against the proposed 1.6 million-square-foot data center intensifies, East Whiteland officials are set to begin revising the township’s zoning ordinance regarding such facilities, writes Brooke Schultz for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The “curative amendment” process enables municipalities to revise existing zoning ordinances if they are found to be substantively invalid. However, this will not impact the project currently before the township’s board of supervisors, where developers are seeking to expand the originally proposed data center’s footprint by 60 percent.
That project, along with the growing public opposition to it, is at the core of the township’s decision to revise the zoning ordinance.
“We have heard the concerns of our residents through the planning commission discussions, many submitted comments and emails and other public input,” said the board’s chairman Scott Lambert.
The board unanimously approved the start of the curative process, pausing the acceptance of new data center applications for up to 180 days.
The updates to the zoning ordinance will “ensure that it is clear and specific, that it is legally compliant with the Pennsylvania municipals planning code, …. fair to all property owners and protective of the community’s health, safety and welfare,” said Lambert.
Read more about the zoning ordinance for data centers in East Whiteland in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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