Data centers are allowed only by conditional-use approval in the I/M Institutional/Mixed Use District, requiring an additional discretionary approval process rather than permitting them by right.

A data-center site must contain at least 8 acres.

Data centers, accessory uses, equipment, and structures must be set back 400 feet from adjoining property lines and road rights-of-way, increasing to 800 feet where the site abuts a residential use.

Building height is limited to 40 feet, including rooftop equipment and data-center accessory uses.

Data centers must comply with a minimum 30% landscape area and maximum 25% lot coverage, with coverage allowed up to 30% only with recharge.

Projects must comply with additional façade-design, buffering, landscaping, entrance-feature, and visually solid screening requirements for mechanical equipment and other accessory uses.

Applicants must submit a qualified professional pre-construction noise and vibration study with the conditional-use application and an as-built post-construction study within 180 days after receiving a use-and-occupancy certificate and beginning operations.

Noise compliance must assume simultaneous operation of all generators, cooling systems, mechanical equipment, and other noise-producing devices at maximum rated capacity.

Operations must meet specified property-line noise limits, including daytime/nighttime limits of 55/45 dBA for residential receptors, 60/50 dBA for mixed-use or commercial receptors, and 65/55 dBA for industrial receptors, plus 70/60 dBC low-frequency limits.

Noise studies must include measurements at property lines during normal operations, peak cooling load, and generator operation under load; the Township may require additional testing, interim mitigation, equipment limitations, or temporary curtailment after complaints or suspected violations.

If monitoring shows noncompliance, the operator must submit a corrective-action plan within 30 days of Township notice and fully remediate violations within the Township-approved period, generally no later than 90 days unless extended for good cause.

A data center must connect to public water, document daily and annual water demand, obtain provider documentation showing adequate supply without harming other users, avoid groundwater or direct surface-water withdrawals as its primary cooling source, and use air-cooled or closed-loop cooling unless the Township approves an alternative.

A data center must connect to public sewer, submit wastewater-generation and disposal analyses, prohibit untreated discharges to stormwater systems or surface waters, and provide certified documentation that the sewer provider can handle conveyance and treatment.

The conditional-use application must include an energy usage plan addressing annual electricity demand, energy sources, storage, backup power, energy-efficiency and clean-energy efforts, and utility interconnection documentation.

Diesel backup generators must meet EPA Tier 4 standards, undergo annual testing with reports submitted to the Township, and may operate for routine maintenance or readiness testing only for a short duration capped at 100 hours per year; routine testing is limited to 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Backup-generator testing must be announced on a public website and to the Township at least 24 hours in advance, and peak shaving or supplying power to the grid is prohibited for fossil-fuel backup generators.

Energy-generation systems serving a data center during normal operations are treated as separate principal uses and must obtain all applicable municipal, state, and federal approvals.

On-site substations must generally be located beside or behind the principal building, outside required front yards, screened from public view, and set back 800 feet from boundaries adjoining a nonindustrial district or residential parcel; power lines of 34.5 kV or less must be buried.

Applicants must submit an Emergency Response Plan accepted by the local fire department and emergency-management services, covering fire suppression, containment, ventilation, evacuation, emergency access, hydrants, and responder training, and must reimburse specialized and ongoing fire and EMS training costs.

Data centers with battery or other energy storage must demonstrate compliance with NFPA 855 or similar standards and provide fire-suppression systems designed for battery storage.

The applicant must prepare a Township-approved construction plan governing construction traffic, deliveries, equipment, contractors, access times, and large-equipment delivery locations.

The conditional-use application must include a decommissioning plan; decommissioning must begin within one year after operations cease and be completed within 18 months, and the Township may require financial security covering decommissioning and site restoration.

A data center must provide one off-street parking space per employee on the greatest shift.

Data centers are expressly permitted in the I/M Institutional/Mixed Use District through the conditional-use process, creating a zoning pathway for approval rather than prohibiting the use. allow for Data Centers by conditional use in the I/M District

A broad range of accessory facilities may be included in the same unified development, including administrative, storage, fiber-optic, security, substation, utility, cooling-water, wastewater-treatment, pump-station, water-storage, and fire-suppression facilities. Ancillary uses or structures secondary and incidental to a Data Center use

The ordinance provides a pathway for data centers to connect to public water and sewer, subject to capacity demonstrations and provider certifications, and allows air-cooled or closed-loop cooling systems. A Data Center shall be connected to public water and A Data Center shall be connected to public sewer

On-site energy-generation systems serving a data center during normal operations, including solar, wind, fossil-fuel, or nuclear systems, are treated as separate principal uses rather than as part of the data-center use, allowing them to be pursued under their own applicable approvals. shall not be considered part of the Data Center use

The ordinance expressly allows backup generators, including diesel generators, provided they meet Tier 4 standards and comply with testing, operating-hour, notice, and other limits. If the Data Center intends to use backup generators

Data centers receive specific objective noise and vibration standards that supersede conflicting noise provisions of the Township Code for data centers, providing defined operating limits and compliance procedures. These standards shall supersede noise standards

The parking requirement is limited to one off-street space per employee on the greatest shift, notwithstanding the otherwise applicable parking rule. one (1) off-street parking space per employee on the greatest shift

The Board approved Ordinance 26-04 after a public hearing, confirming adoption of the data-center zoning regulations and their availability as an enacted approval framework. Mr. Houghton made a motion to approve Ordinance #26-04