Data centers are permitted only in the EC-2 Zoning District or in the Distribution, Terminal, Fulfillment Overlay area; in EC-1, they are allowed only within the specified overlay area. permitted use only in the EC-2 Zoning District or the Distribution, Terminal, Fulfillment Overlay area

New data center buildings must avoid undifferentiated facades and include at least two specified design elements, such as changes in height, setbacks or recesses, fenestration, material changes, or accent materials. at least two of the following design elements

Mechanical and electrical equipment must be screened from adjacent roads and properties by buildings, retained vegetation, or visually solid fencing, walls, panels, parapets, or similar materials compatible with the principal building. ground level and roof top mechanical and electrical equipment shall be screened

A buffer yard is required next to residential properties, residentially zoned or planned properties, or properties with approved residential development, extending at least 50 feet beyond the required setback; an alternative requires specified plantings on a berm at least six feet high. Road frontage also requires one evergreen and one deciduous tree per 20 feet. not less than an additional width of 50 feet beyond the required setback width

Utility substations serving a data center are treated as part of the data center use and must meet the applicable residential-facing buffer and other landscaping requirements. shall be considered part of the Data Center / BESS Use

Exterior lighting must use cutoff and fully shielded fixtures directed downward and inward, and a photometric plan must show that lighting at the property line does not exceed 0.1 footcandles. do not exceed 0.1 footcandles

Tanks storing flammable or otherwise hazardous materials may not be within 50 feet of a property line or within 100 feet of any property, and hazardous-material storage must comply with Pennsylvania DEP standards and include spill containment and environmental protections. shall not have any tank for the storage of flammable or otherwise hazardous material closer than fifty

Applicants must provide evidence that the serving public utility has approved an application for facility power service. an application for service is approved

Loading docks and truck maneuvering areas must be at least 200 feet from residential districts or residential-use property lines. setback not less than 200 feet from residential districts

A qualified-professional Emergency Response Plan is required; it must be reviewed and accepted by the local fire department and emergency management services, address fire suppression, containment, ventilation, evacuation, emergency access, hydrants, and responder training, and include annual fire-safety inspections. Owners of Data Centers or Battery Energy Storage Systems shall submit an Emergency Response Plan

Data center applications must coordinate with the Emergency Management Coordinator and address potential conflicts with adjacent or nearby helicopter flight paths; the land development plan must also include a township liability disclaimer concerning the Emergency Response Plan. considering potential conflicts with adjacent and nearby helicopter flight paths

Applicants must submit a traffic impact study covering daily operational traffic and emergency-response access and demonstrating that the facility will not adversely affect local road capacity. Applicants must submit a traffic impact study

At the end of the project’s life or active data-center use, the owner must restore the site or adapt it for beneficial reuse, remove unusable equipment and structures, and execute a decommissioning agreement requiring completion within 12 months after operations cease. within twelve (12) months of the date at which the facility ceases to operate

If the use involves water resources, the applicant must prepare a water-supply feasibility study; proposed private wells additionally require a professional water-resources impact study, Township Engineer approval of the testing work plan, and analysis under the Adams County Wellhead Protection Plan. A water supply feasibility study shall be prepared

Private-well proposals require extensive site investigations and testing, including new test wells based on withdrawal volume, Township well permits, pumping and recovery tests of at least eight continuous hours, monitoring wells, geologic logs, groundwater-impact analysis, and laboratory water testing. Each new test well shall be pumped at a constant discharge rate for a minimum period of eight continuous hours

The Township may deny an on-lot nonresidential well if the water-supply study does not show adequate yield or if the system would endanger or adversely reduce groundwater supplies to adjacent properties; the Township Engineer may also require a groundwater model such as MODFLOW. will not endanger or adversely decrease the groundwater supplies to adjacent properties

Data centers must meet both ambient-noise and absolute noise limits: operations may not exceed pre-development ambient levels by more than 10 dB(A), and maximum levels are 55 dB(A) during daytime and 45 dB(A) during nighttime, measured at the property line. shall not exceed pre-development ambient noise levels by greater than 10 dB(A)

Noise compliance requires preliminary, interim, and as-built sound studies; the as-built study must occur six months after the certificate of occupancy and before final escrow release, with remediation required if violations are found. An as-built sound study shall be conducted six months after issuance of the certificate of occupancy

A qualified professional must prepare a vibration study demonstrating that vibration from fans, pumps, chillers, generators, and other material mechanical equipment does not extend beyond the property line. does not extend past the property line

Applicants must demonstrate that adequate wastewater disposal has been provided and approved by the Sewage Enforcement Officer and/or Pennsylvania DEP, including disposal of domestic, cooling, and industrial wastewater. adequate means of wastewater disposal have been provided for and approved

Data centers are permitted by right in the EC-2 Zoning District and in the Distribution, Terminal, Fulfillment Overlay area; in EC-1, they are permitted by right only within the specified overlay area. permitted use only in the EC-2 Zoning District or the Distribution, Terminal, Fulfillment Overlay area

Servers and telecommunications equipment that are customarily accessory to an otherwise permitted use—such as servers serving an office building on the same property—are excluded from the data-center definition, allowing those facilities to operate without being classified as data centers under this provision. does not include computers or telecommunications related equipment that is considered customarily accessory

Utility substations and other utility substations necessary to serve a data center are treated as part of the data-center use, rather than as a separate use, subject to required screening and landscaping. shall be considered part of the Data Center / BESS Use

The ordinance encourages shared access drives with other facilities, which can support consolidated site access and reduce the need for separate access infrastructure. Shared access drives with other facilities are encouraged

The noise limit does not apply during a power outage, although the required sound study must still evaluate and report anticipated noise when all data-center equipment is operating. Maximum decibel level specified herein is exempt during a time of power outage