Data centers are allowed only through conditional-use approval, requiring an application with a written narrative, professionally prepared site and landscaping plans, a noise and vibration assessment by a qualified acoustical engineer, and documentation of compliance with applicable laws.

Large data centers exceeding 25,000 square feet require at least 10 acres; small data centers of 25,000 square feet or less require at least 5 acres.

Data centers must maintain at least 30% vegetative coverage.

Maximum floor-area ratio is 0.25 for large data centers and 0.3 for small data centers.

A 250-foot setback is required from all lot lines or applicable ultimate rights-of-way. The setback increases to 500 feet next to specified sensitive uses, dwellings, historic buildings, day-care centers, recreation facilities, nursing homes, or residential zoning districts.

The required setback generally cannot contain improvements, including parking, loading areas, utilities, or stormwater facilities, except for access, utility, or stormwater facilities that are necessary and cross the setback perpendicularly.

Noise from a data center may not exceed 60 dBA at the lot line or exceed the measured ambient noise level there by more than 10 dBA.

Outdoor lighting must use fully shielded, nonadjustable fixtures; lighting must be directed downward or shielded from neighboring properties and the sky; illumination at residential uses may not exceed 0.1 footcandle; and pole-mounted lights may not exceed 25 feet.

Vehicle parking, storage, and loading associated with a data center must remain on the subject property; satellite parking, storage, and loading lots are prohibited.

Woodland disturbance must be minimized, and no more than 50% of existing qualifying tree masses, tree lines, hedgerows, or individual trees may be removed.

Applicants must submit a Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program study or PNDI receipt dated within two years of the application and comply with any agency measures addressing endangered, threatened, or special-concern species and habitats.

Data center building facades facing public roads must avoid undifferentiated surfaces by incorporating at least two specified design elements, such as changes in height, step-backs, fenestration, material changes, texture, color, or accent materials.

Ground-level and rooftop mechanical equipment must be screened from adjacent roads and properties using buildings, existing vegetation, or visually solid compatible fencing, walls, panels, or parapets.

Data centers must provide visual buffering next to residentially zoned or planned properties, generally using required plantings on a berm at least six feet high, subject to limited alternatives involving natural topography, preserved vegetation, supplemental vegetation, or a six-foot solid fence.

Chain-link or barbed-wire fencing is prohibited along public or private street frontages, although the Township may allow alternative compliance when visibility is reduced through landscaping or other methods.

Substations must be screened from adjacent major roads or residentially zoned or planned properties with 10-foot-tall opaque fencing facing residentially zoned properties.

Tanks storing flammable or otherwise hazardous materials may not be located within 50 feet of a property line or within 100 feet of any property.

Data center waste collection or storage areas must be at least 50 feet from the nearest building and enclosed by a solid masonry screen wall.

Applicants must provide written approval for service from all public utilities serving the data center, such as gas and electric utilities.

Applicants must submit a water-supply feasibility report demonstrating that sufficient water resources are available to serve the data center.

Data centers are expressly authorized as conditional uses in the HC and I zoning districts, creating a defined land-use approval pathway rather than leaving the use unaddressed. Add New Section 12-902.G. Data Center

The ordinance creates separate small and large data-center categories, with specified minimum lot sizes, vegetative coverage, and floor-area ratios. Small centers require at least 5 acres and may use a 0.30 FAR; large centers require at least 10 acres and may use a 0.25 FAR, with 30% vegetative coverage required. specific Area and Bulk requirements

The data-center application requirements do not include a traffic-impact study, truck-routing plan, or truck-turning analysis, even though those studies are expressly required for warehouse and truck-terminal applications. This provides a more limited permitting checklist for data centers. An application for a Data Center shall include

Data centers are permitted to include substations, subject to screening from adjacent major roads and residentially zoned or planned properties; residential-facing substations require 10-foot opaque fencing. Substations shall be screened