The Erie County Council has tabled a vote on proposed changes to the county’s Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, or SALDO, governing data centers.
Council members say postponing the vote will give the Erie County Planning Commission additional time to revise the amendment following concerns raised during last week’s public hearing and in committee discussions.
“This is not a table for dead issue. This is just ensuring that we get it right,” said Jim Wertz, District 2 representative on Erie County Council.
Among the issues being revisited are proposed buffer areas surrounding data centers and restrictions on low-frequency noise.
“Low-frequency noise that doesn’t necessarily equate to decibels at the property line, a couple environmental tangential issues, and also wanted to make sure that we’re in alignment with the recent executive order from the Governor,” said Rock Copeland, District 3 representative on Erie County Council.
Copeland and Wertz said the council also wants to ensure the proposed ordinance aligns with a recent executive order issued by Governor Josh Shapiro.
“We’ve asked the Director of Planning to go back to the Planning Commission and have that discussion with them, review some of the best practices that exist out there, and to come back for a vote,” Wertz said.
Council members emphasized that the decision to table the vote does not mean the proposed regulations are being abandoned.
“We want to make sure to include the Planning Commission that brought this document forward into that consideration, so we’re just kind of letting it cook a little bit to make sure we’re passing a complete and thorough ordinance in the first go,” Copeland said.
Copeland called the decision an example of the legislative process working as intended, saying all seven council members agreed that additional review was needed to consider public comments and concerns before moving forward.
The next Erie County Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for October 8. To learn more about future agendas, you can visit their website below: