Lehigh Township supervisors approved a new ordinance regulating the development of data centers in the township during their meeting this week, establishing standards for where the facilities can be built and how they must operate.

Vice President Gerald Pritchard presided over the meeting in the absence of President Mike Jones and Supervisor Dave Hess. Supervisor Janet Sheats participated by phone, and Supervisor Cindy Miller was present.

Attorney Dave Backenstoe presented Ordinance 2026-2, which addressed data centers and accessory uses in the township’s Industrial Zoning District. He said the ordinance was advertised on Aug. 21 and 31 and reviewed by both the township’s Planning Commission and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

“We got very favorable feedback from both,” Backenstoe said.

Sheats said township officials felt the ordinance needed to be enacted quickly. Miller commended Backenstoe for his work drafting the regulations.

The board unanimously approved the ordinance.

Backenstoe emphasized the ordinance does not prohibit data centers.

“I want everyone to understand that we are not denying data centers,” he said. “We have the ordinance to have a place for them.”

Under the ordinance, data centers will be permitted as a conditional use in the industrial zoning district. The regulations establish a minimum lot size of 5 acres, require a 100-foot buffer yard with trees and shrubs, and set limits on building height and setbacks. Noise levels are capped at 67 decibels during the day and 57 decibels at night.

The ordinance also requires facilities to use loop cooling systems that recycle water, submit annual reports to the township, provide emergency response plans and environmental impact assessments, and restore sites to their original condition when operations cease.

Budget preparations continue

Township Manager Alice Rehrig told supervisors she incorporated suggestions from the board into the proposed 2027 budget.

Among the items included are the township’s minimum municipal obligation pension payments, a fire wall upgrade for the police station, waste stations at township parks, redundant Internet access through two service lines, Starlink satellite Internet service for the new police vehicle and a new bucket truck.

Rehrig also noted two Local Share Account grant applications are due at the end of September.

Police report

Police Chief John Henry reported the department logged 445 calls during the past month, including seven reportable crashes and eight nonreportable crashes. Officers also handled 13 traffic violations and seven equipment repair incidents.

Henry reported one aggravated assault, one terroristic threats case, multiple simple assault and harassment incidents, and two DUI crashes.

He asked supervisors to schedule interviews with three police officer candidates before the next board meeting. The board agreed to begin interviews at 6 p.m.

Henry also praised the department’s Total Station forensic mapping equipment.

“The Total Station has cut our time in half at crash and crime scenes for forensic mapping,” he said.