New Castle considers zoning amendments to address data centers, add new zoning district near Frackville
ARNOTS ADDITION – New Castle Township Supervisors are considering zoning amendments to add a new zoning district and add regulations for data centers.
The proposed amendments come months after a New York firm purchased land in the extreme north of the township abutting Frackville, sparking fears of a potential data center development and its impacts on the mountain city.
Supervisors will convene a public hearing on Wednesday, April 22 at 1pm at the township building at 248 Broad Street in Arnots Addition with a special meeting to vote immediately following.
According to a public notice posted near the property in question, supervisors are considering adding a highway industrial zoning district and adding definitions for data centers, fiber optic switch facilities, and warehousing.
The ordinance would also add regulations for data centers, including allowing them by conditional use in the new highway industrial district. That would require a hearing before the New Castle Township Zoning Hearing Board.
Standards would be established for woodland disturbance, lighting, water, sewer, emergency response plans, buffer, landscaping, and more. An enviornmental impact study would also be required.
According to the public notice, the extreme northeast portion of the township, in the area of the former Schuylkill Mall, would be included in the new Highway Industrial zoning district.
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