Upper Bern to Vote on Data Center and Solar Rules

Upper Bern Township's supervisors plan to hold a public hearing and could adopt two zoning changes on Thursday, September 10, at 6 p.m.: one writing the township's first rules for data centers, and one rewriting its rules for solar. Both decide what can be built where in the township, so both affect neighbors and property owners.

The meeting is at the Township Municipal Building, 25 North 5th Street, Shartlesville. The board will hear public comment, then decide whether to adopt each ordinance, change it, or hold it for more work.

The data-center ordinance

A data center is a large building full of computer servers that store and run online services. The biggest ones draw heavy electricity and water and run cooling equipment that can be noisy, which is why where they can go, called zoning, has become a flashpoint across Berks County.

Ordinance 173 would add a new "Data Center Uses" section to the township's 2008 zoning ordinance and update its definitions. Under the notice, the section sets conditional-use provisions, meaning a data center would be approved only if it meets a list of extra conditions the township sets. Those conditions cover:

• how far buildings must sit from property lines, and required buffer yards and berms
• noise and vibration limits
• water and sewer service
• cooling systems and power supply
• emergency planning, signal interference, heat and light, parking, and building design
• an economic cost and impact assessment and an environmental impact study
• electronic-waste handling and a decommissioning plan for when a data center closes

The notice lists these topics but not the specific limits. Residents can get the full ordinance text by calling the township office at 610-488-1191 or emailing it, or by attending the hearing.

The solar ordinance

Ordinance 174 would repeal the township's current solar provision and add a new "Solar Energy Systems" section. It sets separate rules for an accessory system, the kind mounted on a home or business for its own use, and a principal system, meaning a stand-alone solar installation such as a solar farm. The section addresses codes, stormwater, how much of a lot panels can cover, utility notice and approval, glare, tree conservation, where panels can be placed, maintenance, and safety warnings. Anyone weighing a rooftop system should note the township is changing the permit rules; our guide on reading a door-to-door solar pitch covers the consumer side.

Upper Bern joins a countywide push

Upper Bern, a rural township north of Hamburg, is one of a growing number of Berks municipalities writing data-center rules as developers look for sites. Our Berks County data-center tracker lists where every project and ordinance stands, and a six-municipality preview from the Hamburg area covers the wider wave. Neighboring Windsor Township adopted its own data-center ordinance in August, also as a conditional use with limits on noise, setbacks, and buffers.

How to weigh in

• The hearing is Thursday, September 10, at 6 p.m. at the Township Municipal Building, 25 North 5th Street, Shartlesville. Public hearings take resident comment before the board votes.
• For the full ordinance text before the meeting, call the township at 610-488-1191 or email the secretary.
• To follow your own local meetings, see our guide to township and borough meeting schedules; for what a township controls versus the county and the state, see how Berks County government works.

Berks Beat will report the outcome once the township adopts the ordinances or posts a public notice of the vote.