Chadds Ford Township is now the first municipality in Delaware County to have a data center ordinance. Supervisors passed the 46-page document during their April 8 meeting. The vote was unanimous, 3-0.
As previously reported from the March 31 Planning Commission meeting, data centers are defined as “Any facility, building, or portion thereof specifically designed or used to house a high density of computer servers, data storage devices, and related networking equipment for the purpose of processing, storing, or transmitting digital data.”
Data centers would be restricted to the LI-1 Zoning District, be on a property with a minimum of 25 acres, be no taller than 40 feet, and are subject to conditional use approval.
The ordinance also addresses water use, utilities, protection of riparian buffers, hardware containment and thermal isolation, emergency services and safety requirements, mitigation funding, and required impact analyses, according to Vice Chair Kathleen Goodier.
Supervisor Samantha Reiner added that the ordinance “is being proactively produced so that the township is protected in case a data center wants to come. There isn’t one. There’s no application for one right now.”
Supervisors’ Chairman Timotha Trigg made a point to stress the need for conditional use before a data center can be approved.
“We are not making data centers a by-right use. We are requiring conditional use approval—and that difference matters. By right means that our ability to control a proposed project is very limited. Conditional use is different. Every proposal must come before the Board in a public forum,” Trigg said.
She emphasized that the ordinance is not an open door for such facilities.
“This ordinance is not a welcome mat. It is a defensive shield — and a strong one. It’s a thorough document because the risks that accompany data centers are specific and serious, like the constant low-frequency hum, the heavy pressure on a local water supply, and the unique hazards and costs for our fire company. This ordinance is designed to address those impacts and many more.”
Trigg added that without such an ordinance, the township would have virtually no control over data centers. She also mentioned that the township can’t simply say no to a data center. In Pennsylvania, municipalities must allow for all lawful business activities and have provisions for them within their zoning codes.
“State law prohibits us from simply saying “no.” It requires every municipality to provide for every “legitimate land use”—from billboards to data centers. If we tried to ban them outright, we wouldn’t stop them—instead, we’d lose control over how and where they’re built,” she said.
Supervisors also had the proposed ordinance reviewed by the Concordville Fire and Protective Association. President of the association, Lee Weersing, called the ordinance comprehensive and a possible model for other municipalities and townships in the county.
“Chadds Ford’s plan is very comprehensive, and kudos, and way to be ahead of things. Hopefully, nothing ever gets built here. We don’t want it. And I don’t live here, but I don’t want it either,” Weersing said.
Other business
The board appointed township engineer Mike Schneider to be the zoning officer for land development and land disturbance applications, while Keystone Municipal Services would continue handling stand-alone zoning permits.
For his part, Schneider agreed, saying, “I already review zoning impacts for both land development and land disturbance permits as well, so it’s an effort that I’m already putting forth, and it just makes it official that that would be the official zoning review for those items.”
The board’s next meeting is the monthly workshop scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the municipal building.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
