Ordinance Creation and Inviting Data Centers
Many townships in Cumberland County do not currently have any language in their ordinances to address data centers. That gap leaves the door wide open. Our stance is simple: data centers should be accounted for in ordinances, but they should be under tightly controlled requirements.
At this time, Hampden Township does not have existing language in its ordinances to regulate what an “allowed” data center would look like (and by consequence, what kinds of data centers are NOT allowed). At the August 14 Planning Commission meeting, a draft ordinance was proposed. You can read it here:
Updated Hampden Proposed Data Center Text Amendment Link
Note: The above link is the UPDATED draft from the week of 9/8/2025, which includes permitted use in Industrial areas, conditional use in the Office Park district, and does include similar language regarding the Susquehanna River Basin Commission as other data center ordinances in the area.
Why This Draft is Concerning
- Conditionally allows data centers in the Office Park district, surrounded by neighborhoods and two hospitals. (Dark blue on map) instead of just the Industrial General district.
- Permitted use, not conditional, in Industrial areas: Once zoning is set, there’s little chance for public input or additional requirements to be set in place based on the specific project
No review by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (a step required in neighboring Middlesex for projects withdrawing large amounts of water).- Drafted internally by township staff, not an environmental engineering firm.
- Only
~2.5~7 pages long, lacking detail and protections that other municipalities have enacted for this use
After the meeting, the Commission posted a recap video on YouTube that seemed to signal a friendly stance on data centers in the township. (See 6:40 timestamp.)
“Another thing was our data center ordinance that we are in the middle of drafting, but looking at an opportunity to attract some data centers to some remaining parcels that we have in Hampden Township, which is obviously something that is in the future, and we’re looking at taking advantage of that.” – Commissioner Sherri Chippo.
Next Steps & How to Take Action
Hampden Township Board of Commissioners is holding a public hearing to gather input on the draft ordinance on September 25 at 7:30 PM at 209 S. Sporting Hill Road, Mechanicsburg.
The ordinance as written, opens the door for a hyperscale data center in the core of Hampden Township, in close proximity to homes and hospitals. Stopping the Township Commissioners from passing this ordinance is crucial.
What can you do?
- If you can, attend in person! This is the only way to make comments on the record.
- If you cannotattend in person, Hampden Township has a livestream of their meeting at the following URL; however, watching via livestream does not allow for comment or participation.
- Sign the petition to Hampden Township Commissioners to vote NO on the ordinance. Do this whether you are attending in-person or not.
- Help collect signatures by sharing the petition with others in Hampden Township before September 25 meeting.
Other agenda items for that meeting have not yet been disclosed, but it is possible that the Board of Commissioners will make a motion to either approve the amendment or request revisions to the ordinance that day.
