Delaware County Sets Safety Action Plan for Data Centers
Delaware County has a safety action plan in place to guide municipalities on how to properly handle data centers, KYW Newsradio reported Oct. 7.
The plan comes as communities across the county move to write rules for data centers before developers arrive. Townships including Tinicum, Marple, Newtown and Concord have taken up the issue, and the Delaware County Planning Commission reviewed data center zoning matters at its Aug. 20 meeting, according to local reporting.
Marple Township has been drafting standards that would require sound and vibration studies before approval and follow-up testing after a facility opens, according to reporting on the proposal. The draft also calls for reviews of water supply, groundwater monitoring plans and oversight of backup generators, electrical substations and cooling systems.
Newtown Township’s planning commission has recommended an ordinance setting limits on data center development, KYW Newsradio reported, even though no active proposal exists there. Officials say the goal is to have standards ready in case one arrives.
The local push follows attention on a potential project in Trainer Borough, where a lawyer sought a favorable zoning determination in August for a data center on a 24.4-acre site along Ridge Road, according to WHYY. The parcel sits near homes in Trainer and Marcus Hook, while neighboring Lower Chichester Township has said the use is not permitted under its zoning.
Data centers are booming because artificial intelligence requires enormous computing power, and Pennsylvania has become a target for developers. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order in August requiring environmental and transparency safeguards for data centers seeking state permits, and he removed them from a fast-track permitting program.
A bill moving in the state House would also require any data center proposal brought to a municipality to include proof the developer has applied and paid for electrical service, a step meant to weed out speculative projects, according to The Center Square.
Counties plan ahead because data centers raise questions that go beyond one site: how much power and water they draw, how emergency responders reach them, how noise and generators affect neighbors, and where they fit in local zoning. The county’s guidance is meant to give municipalities a common playbook before the first concrete is poured.