Targeted Timeline
October 14th – Board of Supervisors possible adoption.
Data Center Ordinance Status
- June 2, 2026: The township planning commission held an open public discussion of drafting a data center ordinance and provided a preliminary adoption timeline.
- July 7, 2026: The township planning commission reviewed the draft data center ordinance that included public engagement.
- August 4, 2026: The township planning commission will conduct a second review of the revised draft data center ordinance.
- August 12, 2026: Board of Supervisors approved for advertisement prior to possible adoption.
Advertised Version of the Draft Data Center Ordinance
Updated August 12, 2026
(Any comments or suggestions to improve the draft ordinance language, please email Neil Lovekin at nlovekin@eastmarlborough.org)
Township Zoning Map
Township residents and businesses,
Like many of you, we prioritize protecting and preserving what we value most about East Marlborough Township. We have consistently taken bold steps to support that goal and will continue to do so. With that in mind, we have dedicated significant time and effort to developing a draft ordinance.
Under Pennsylvania law, municipalities generally must provide for legitimate land uses within their zoning ordinances. Courts have also made clear that ordinances cannot entirely exclude a use or impose restrictions that render it infeasible in practice. Because of this, our most effective opportunity is to establish clear, strong, and legally defensible regulations now, before any specific proposal is presented. At this time, there are no data center proposals in East Marlborough, so we can proactively establish appropriate standards and safeguards if such a development is proposed. This approach helps ensure that decisions about how and where such uses may occur remain with the Township rather than being determined in court.
Our goal is to set regulations that protect our community and are carefully structured to withstand legal challenges and reduce litigation risk.
We appreciate your interest. Together, we can address this issue in a way that best serves our residents and preserves our Township.
If you would like to speak with or email a Township official about this matter before the Planning Commission meeting, please get in touch with the Township Manager, Neil Lovekin, at 610-444-0725 or via email at nlovekin@eastmarlborough.org.
Thank you,
East Marlborough Township Officials
PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania is experiencing an influx of data centers, driven by its abundant, large-scale energy resources (including nuclear and natural gas), proximity to major East Coast markets, available land, and a surplus of repurposed industrial sites. Tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft are pouring billions of dollars into the state, primarily to meet the massive electricity demands of artificial intelligence.
According to websites like PennFuture, CNBC, and Penn State Extension, the state’s specific advantages include:
- Diverse & Reliable Energy: Pennsylvania has a robust power grid and extensive natural gas reserves. Crucially, tech companies are partnering directly with regional power plants. For example, Microsoft plans to use energy directly from the reopened Three Mile Island nuclear plant to power its AI operations.
- Ideal Geographic Positioning: It offers proximity to major tech and population hubs on the East Coast (such as Northern Virginia, the nation’s traditional “Data Center Alley”) while avoiding the overcrowding and exorbitant land costs found there.
- Plentiful Land and Water: Developers have access to comparably cheaper land and a natural abundance of fresh water, which is necessary for the massive cooling systems used by hyperscale data centers.
- Industrial Infrastructure: The state offers an abundance of former industrial sites and established electrical/fiber-optic infrastructure, which makes it significantly faster and cheaper to build out computing infrastructure.
Pennsylvania currently hosts over a hundred active commercial data centers, depending on the tracking firm, as well as numerous smaller private facilities. The industry is rapidly expanding, with 50+ additional hyperscale and commercial facilities proposed or in the planning pipeline across the state.
The facilities are primarily clustered around the state’s major metropolitan and industrial markets:
- Pittsburgh: 34 facilities
- Philadelphia: 29 to 30 facilities
- Harrisburg: 18 facilities
- Scranton & Pottsville: 9 facilities each
For hyper-specific data center locations, capacity ratings, and provider details, explore the Pennsylvania Data Center Market directory on Data Center Map or evaluate provider colocation specs using the Baxtel Pennsylvania Provider Profile.
Resources
Chester County Planning Commission – Data Centers
Company insights: https://statecapitallobbyist.com/artificial-intelligence-ai/pennsylvania-ai-data-center-legislation-in-2026-what-companies-need-to-know/