READING, Pa. – The Reading Planning Commission met in its monthly workshop meeting Tuesday night to discuss the draft of the proposed ordinance that will ultimately regulate artificial intelligence data centers in the city.
Earlier this month, 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.
Jerome Skrincosky, the city’s planning consultant from Hawk Valley Associates, explained the draft ordinance would limit data centers to the HM-Heavy Manufacturing zoning district by means of a conditional use, which requires a hearing before City Council.
Skrincosky recommended that be expanded to include the MC-Manufacturing Commercial zoning district.
Skrincosky said only allowing the data centers in the HM district could open the ordinance to a legal challenge by a developer claiming the use is exclusionary zoning.
All municipalities must provide realistic opportunities for every possible use.
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.
The city’s zoning currently does not address data centers, which means that prior to the curative amendment process, a developer could have placed a data center in any zoning district.
The proposed ordinance requires a minimum of 5 acres on which a data center could be located.
Skrincosky suggested the city look at a minimum of 10 acres for major data centers.
Another issue is minimum setbacks from residential zoning districts.
The proposed ordinance sets a 200-foot minimum setback for the data center building and 300 feet from generators, substations or cooling equipment.
A couple of residents asked the planning commission to expand those numbers to at least 2,000 feet.
Skrincosky explained the logic of the 200- and 300-foot setbacks.
“We’re going to have to make sure that there are areas within the city where someone can actively develop a data center,” Skrincosky said. “Otherwise, we go back to that argument of exclusionary zone.”
Skrincosky also recommended that the city consider comments from a noise or sound expert to better address the regulations on noise and vibrations.
The proposed ordinance was originally presented to City Council by Councilmember Jaime Baez Jr.
“It came about because of the movement that we’re seeing across the country with data centers,” Baez said. “When you want to protect waterways, when you want to protect land, and when you want to protect your residents, it was a no brainer.”
Planner Peter Rye said he feels the public opposition to data centers is a bit of an overreaction.
“Take the Reading Hospital, for example,” Rye said. “It has a power plant on Parkside Drive, and there are two gas turbine units running every day.”
Rye said it is next to residential areas and the Reading Public Museum.
“It’s less than 50 feet from the street, and they run a massive cooling system there as well,” Rye said. “I think we have to really take a balanced view of this.”
“We are the consumers of the product that is being made by these data centers,” he said. “It is going to be the largest economic driver of our country because we are at the leading edge of it. The economic benefit is significant, and we are deciding that we will forgo that by having a restrictive policy.”
As the race to expand artificial intelligence accelerates, so does the demand for data centers, and legislators in Reading are thinking ahead.
Planner William Cinfici said the planning commission tries to balance the concerns the city sets forth in its subdivision and land development ordinance and the concerns of other city departments and public concerns.
“We balance that with economic development,” Cinfici said. “We try to be mindful of those concerns, be comprehensive with all the matters that are of concern.”
Baez said he feels a huge sense of responsibility towards the residents and towards protecting resources.
“In my personal opinion, I try to weigh what the pros and cons are for the future of humans, and what’s the benefit in the long term rather than the money that maybe we’re going to make,” Baez said. “Because sometimes money is not everything. Sometimes being alive and being able to is everything.”
The planning staff will continue to develop the proposed draft, and the planning commission will have an opportunity to discuss it again at the July 28 meeting.
If the planning commission eventually approves the ordinance, it will have to go to the county planning commission for comments before it comes back to the city planning.
The final step is approval from City Council, which must be completed within the 180-day time frame.