READING, Pa. – The Reading Planning Commission could take a vote next month on whether to recommend a proposed zoning amendment to regulate data centers.
The commission on Tuesday night said it will advertise potential action on the zoning amendment for its workshop meeting on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.
In early July, Reading City Council voted to adopt a resolution to invoke the curative amendment process for the city’s zoning ordinance, which declared that the zoning ordinance is defective as it relates to data centers.
The resolution gives the city 180 days to adopt the regulations and amend its zoning ordinance. During that six-month period, no developer may submit an application for a data center.
Some members of Reading’s planning commission questioned whether the details outlined in the proposed data center ordinance are overreactive.
The proposed amendment suggests limiting data centers to the HM-Heavy Manufacturing and MC-Manufacturing Commercial zoning districts through a conditional use hearing before city council.
The city’s zoning currently does not address data centers, which mean that prior to the curative amendment process, a developer could have placed a data center in any zoning district.
Jerome Skrincosky, the city’s planning consultant from Hawk Valley Associates, said a special task force met on Aug. 26 and Sept. 16, and will meet again on Sept. 30.
Skrincosky said a fourth draft of the amendment could be considered by the planning commission on Oct. 20.
Skrincosky said one of the latest additions is to place a setback of 500 feet from a P-Preservation zoning district for a standard data center and 1,000 feet for a major data center.
“We also will be including an amendment or provision for sensitive receptors that are considered or classified as non-conforming within the the MC and also HM zoning district,” Skrincosky said. “So, if there are residential districts or residential uses or other sensitive receptors, we will be able to identify those and they will have setback provisions that would apply for them.”
“We did have a number of comments that were provided by the task force in regard to alternative energy uses as well as provisions for requiring alternative energy or what the limits would be for use when you can’t run the alternative energy or generator full time,” he said. “We did talk about how we can put reasonable conditions on buffering the noise if it comes from the rooftops or if it comes from the ground.”
Reading City Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt a resolution to invoke the curative amendment process for the city’s zoning ordinance, which makes a determination that the zoning ordinance is defective as it relates to artificial intelligence data centers.
Skrincosky said the goal is to have the planning commission recommend the amendment to Reading City Council for a potential adoption in December.
The 180-day moratorium on applications for data centers will end sometime in January.
Fifth and Penn streets redevelopment
The planning commission also plans to use the special meeting for the opportunity to approve a lot line revision between 431 and 433 Penn St. as a part of developer Alan Shuman’s plan to redevelop Fifth and Penn streets.
Planner Peter Rye said the idea to redraw the lot line is to allow a portion of the property to be included in the CRIZ (City Revitalization and Improvement Zone) designation before the end of the year in order to allow the overall project to qualify for certain funding.
In April, City Council approve the sale of several of historic and iconic Penn Street buildings to local developer Alan Shuman.
The total redevelopment project will cost about $52 million, which will come from various sources included $19 million from CRIZ.
The city received CRIZ designation from the state, which allows funding to come from future tax revenue that will be generated by the properties within the CRIZ designated areas.
The planners cannot vote on the lot line revision until it has been reviewed by the Berks County Planning Commission, which is hoped to be completed by Oct. 20.