Municipal Monday, Issue 19. A weekly digest of regulatory and development activity from 38 Central Pennsylvania municipalities.
With this issue we added six municipalities and went back through posted minutes rather than agendas. The data center story is much further along than we had been reporting.
THE PATTERN: Eight municipalities have already adopted data center ordinances, all between June 9 and August 18, across four counties. South Londonderry was first, Ordinance 234 on June 9. Franklin followed a day later with Ordinance 2026-2, confined to its Industrial Zone. Hampden adopted Ordinance 2026-03 on July 2, conditional use in Industrial General; Lower Allen, Ordinance 2026-04 on July 13. Windsor approved its amendment on July 20, striking the General Commercial zone at the hearing after 24 residents spoke. West Hanover adopted Ordinance 2026-01 on July 23, covering data centers and battery storage. South Middleton adopted Ordinance 2026-03 on July 30: conditional use approval before any land development plan, 200 foot setbacks from sensitive receptors, 60 percent impervious cap. East Hanover adopted Ordinance 2026-02 on August 18, 27 pages, seven on water, noise studies at three stages. A dozen or more other municipalities have a file in some stage.
Adoption is the step that counts. Under Executive Order 2026-05, local approvals and comprehensive plan consistency gate a DEP permit for data centers over 25 megawatts, and the state processing clocks do not start until both are in hand. In these eight municipalities, the rules a project’s local approval is measured against are now on the books.
ON THE BOARDS: Twenty-three plans carry a board or commission action across eight municipalities, on agendas dated September 8 to October 6. South Middleton’s Planning Commission holds nine, 752 stated acres, all listed to be tabled. Carlisle carries five, four of them time extensions on one agenda. North Londonderry had the same three final plans on both its commission and board agendas on September 21, 30 minutes apart. Franklin carries two. East Pennsboro, West Hanover, Monaghan and Derry carry one each.
LONG HORIZON: Three Cumberland County municipalities are building land preservation programs, and the contrast with the data center wave above is the point of this issue. Upper Allen enacted Ordinance 850 on August 3, 4 to 1, putting a land preservation referendum on the November 3 ballot, funded by earned income and property tax. Silver Spring already runs a program and took another property into it in July. Lower Allen, which adopted its own data center ordinance in July, is exploring a program modeled on Silver Spring’s and listed an item on September 14 authorizing a survey of roughly 70 owners of five-acre-plus parcels.
COST TO WATCH: Just under $1.09 million in security reductions sits on four agendas, in six items, none with a posted outcome. Lower Allen: $841,421, Cedar Run Business Park. Lower Swatara: $144,640, Greenwood Hills Phase IV, letter of credit to zero. East Pennsboro: $57,970, American Legion Post 751. West Hanover: $44,467 across three stormwater plans.
The ordinance adoptions above, Upper Allen’s included, are confirmed from posted minutes. As of publication on September 21, every plan and security reduction is an agenda item with no posted outcome.
If an adopted ordinance or a preservation program touches ground you hold, we can tell you what it means for the specifics.
Municipal Monday runs weekly. Next issue: 9/28.