Newtown Seeks To Regulate Data Centers: What That Would Mean For Local Residents

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — There are no plans for a data center in Newtown Township, officials said. But the township is preparing for the possibility with a proposed ordinance to regulate them.

In recent years, data centers used to train AI-powered technology have faced backlash from communities across the country for noise, pollution, and impacts on the water supply and power grid.

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Newtown Township doesn't have any current applications for building a data center. But Newtown, like many municipalities, doesn't have any regulations on data centers.

So if a developer applied to put one in Newtown, the township would likely have to evaluate it under similar standards of developing a warehouse, despite data centers presenting different concerns.

"Because this particular use of land is so new, zoning codes in municipalities such as Newtown typically do not have regulations for this particular use," the township said in its recent newsletter. "Therefore, many communities across the Commonwealth have been going through this process to protect their communities."

Some of the largest planned data centers across the country span thousands of acres. Under Newtown's proposed ordinance, data centers would only be allowed in the Light Industrial district — a 12-acre district in the western part of town, which is already partially developed.

The ordinance also contains restrictions on water and electrical usage, noise and other potential issues. (See page 572 in the linked document for the ordinance.)

Data centers are a legal use of land, so the township can't outright ban them, officials say. But without regulations in place, the township would have little leeway to regulate them.

This has been approved by the Newtown Planning Commission and Delaware County Planning Department.

The ordinance will need approval from the Newtown Board of Supervisors, which will vote on the matter after a public hearing. A date hasn't been announced, but the board's next meeting is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 26.

Read the Newtown Township newsletter for more on the township's case for passing a data center ordinance.