Pennsylvania: East Whiteland ends data center pause, limits new centers to industrial district by conditional use
A Chester County township closed a six-month zoning pause by adopting data center rules on September 24, 2026; the posted final draft sets 1,250-foot buffers, night noise caps and closed-loop cooling.
Data center developers looking at southeastern Pennsylvania now face a detailed local code in East Whiteland Township, where new facilities can go only on industrial land and only after a contested hearing. On September 24, 2026, the township's Board of Supervisors held a public hearing and enacted Ordinance No. 385-2026, a municipal curative amendment under section 609.2 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10609.2 (the “MPC”), which, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the board approved unanimously.
East Whiteland Twp., Pa., Ordinance No. 385-2026 (Sept. 24, 2026); Pa. Municipalities Planning Code § 609.2, 53 P.S. § 10609.2; Chester Cnty. Plan. Comm'n, Review Letter CA-08-26-19068 (Sept. 4, 2026)