A draft ordinance that would regulate where data center development could take place in West Penn Township has been created.

Discussion on the data center ordinance resumed at Tuesday morning’s board of supervisors meeting.

Board Chairman Tony Prudenti said his understanding was that the ordinance would have go to before the township’s planning commission.

Township solicitor Paul J. Datte said the use would be a use permitted by special exception in an Industrial District.

Datte said that as far as the location and locating them to an Industrial District, the only issue is that they would need to have enough industrial zoned property in the township and areas large enough to accommodate them.

He said his recollection is that the township does not have a lot of industrial zoned land, and noted data centers may require 30 to 50 acres at a minimum.

Datte said several concerns are establishing the standards for the use that differ from other uses in the Industrial Zoning District, and the standards have to be date-certain specific.

Prudenti noted that Herb Woodring, assistant to the board of supervisors, was given the task of working on an ordinance for data centers.

Woodring said his thought was the township could also have data centers in a Highway Industrial District, but that they don’t have a lot of land in that district.

Datte said it’s a case where the township does have plenty of land in general, but the question is how is it zoned.

He then recommended that the board put it in as a use permitted by special exception in an Industrial Zoning District.

Datte pointed out the three biggest issues are power, water and noise.

“The big thing is power,” Datte said. “If they don’t have access to the power, then they’re just going to (relocate) to where they do,” Datte said. “Site selection for them is a big deal.”

Datte was complimentary of the job Woodring has done on the draft ordinance.

“I think Herb put together a great ordinance,” he said. “Herb did a great job of identifying all the potential issues.”

Datte then suggested to the board what he believes it’s next course of action should be.

“I think the next step is to provide this draft to the township planning commission and get their input,” he said. “We’re almost certainly going to adopt (some kind of) ordinance.”

Afterward, supervisors agreed to send the draft ordinance to the township’s planning commission for its review.

At last month’s morning meeting, resident Carl Greves told the board there are lot of videos on YouTube about data centers.

Greves said that on the whole, “a lot of people are really unhappy” about data centers.

Supervisor Kyle Kester said at that time he read the stories in a previous edition of the Times News about data centers and that some say data centers aren’t bad.

But, Greves said that isn’t what he’s heard about data centers.

Woodring said he had some reservations as well.

Greves said it’s the giant companies that come in and want to build data centers.

Prudenti said it’s a difficult situation for the township.