A zoning ordinance that would regulate data centers and warehouses in the area could be put in place as early as October, Tamaqua solicitor Tony Odorizzi said.

Odorizzi, who serves in the same role for the Eastern Schuylkill Regional Planning Commission, updated Tamaqua Borough Council on ordinance’s preparation.

“The board has passed along what they are calling their final version of the ordinance,” Odorizzi said during Tuesday’s meeting. “It went out in July to each of the planning commissions” of the municipalities that comprise the ESRP.

Those include the borough of Tamaqua, and the townships of Rush, Schuylkill and Walker.

“At some point, hopefully by the end of the Labor Day holiday, it will be completely advertised in the newspaper,” Odorizzi said, referring to the Times News.

At that point, he said, residents can pick up copies of the ordinance and related maps.

While the ESRP will meet on Sept. 14, he doesn’t expect any action at that meeting.

“The real action will be on Oct. 6,” when a public hearing on the ordinance will be held at 5 p.m. in Tamaqua council chambers, Odorizzi said. “The plan is that after that meeting, each of the four municipalities will consider whether to enact that ordinance.”

The ESRP began meeting in the spring because its current ordinance didn’t provide for data centers, warehouses and short-term rentals.

Under law, all those uses must be permitted in zoning districts.

If the ESRP didn’t revise its ordinance, it would be considered “exclusionary zoning” — and mean that the uses could be permitted anywhere in the entire district. The revised ordinance will restrict where data centers and warehouses could be located.

“For data centers and warehouses, in Tamaqua we only have one area that is identified as a possible site,” council President Brian Connely said. “And I’m just saying I don’t think it’s an attractive site because in my mind it’s not big enough. However, we have met the intention of allowing it somewhere.”

Odorizzi said the site measures about 50 acres and is in the east end of the borough, past Sisters’ Cantina.

“It probably isn’t big enough,” Odorizzi agreed. “We don’t anticipate any warehouse having any interest in it.”

It’s also private property, he noted.

“We don’t own the property, so it would take a private property owner to decide to have a data center (or warehouse) on their property,” Odorizzi said.