Municipal Monday, Issue 10. A weekly digest of regulatory and development activity from 32 Central Pennsylvania municipalities.
THE PATTERN: The data center zoning wave has moved from drafting to decisions, and this is the week the hearings cluster. Windsor Township holds a public hearing with possible adoption of its data center zoning amendment on July 20. East Pennsboro Township directed its solicitor to advertise an August 5 hearing on a zoning map and text amendment for the Annex district, plus conditional use regulations for data centers. Hampden Township took up Ordinance 2026-03, which would allow data centers as a conditional use in its Industrial General district, and Lower Allen Township ran the public hearing on Ordinance 2026-04. West Hanover Township’s draft ordinance hearing moved to July 23 after an advertising issue, East Hanover Township in Dauphin County advanced its amendment to the county Planning Commission, and South Middleton Township opened a data center discussion at its Planning Commission. That is seven municipalities across three counties working the same question in one six-week window. If you hold industrially zoned land in any of them, the operating rules for years to come are being set right now.
ON THE BOARDS: The subdivision and land development pipeline stayed heavy and varied, with more than a dozen named items in one week. Highlights include Stratton Park Townhomes in Upper Allen Township, a Wawa market and fueling station in Swatara Township, the SwimHershey and Hershey Elementary land development plans in Derry Township, the 256.8-acre Connector Road final subdivision in South Middleton Township, and the revised final plan for Lands of W.E.B. Contracting in East Pennsboro Township.
LONG HORIZON: One long-range milestone landed: Carroll Township adopted the Carroll Township and Dillsburg Borough Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan by Resolution 2026-09. Camp Hill Borough is advertising a request for proposals to develop its own comprehensive plan, and East Hanover Township in Dauphin County continues a full update of its zoning ordinance, zoning map, and subdivision and land development ordinance. Documents like these set the framework every future plan is measured against.
COST TO WATCH: Financial security activity clustered this week, mostly money coming back on projects that are wrapping up. Hampden Township released a letter of credit, a bond, and cash escrow while reducing another bond. Derry Township released stormwater security and reduced land development performance security. Lower Swatara Township cut a standby letter of credit to $180,726, and Carroll Township adopted its 2026 consultant fee schedule.
If you own or are working land in any of these jurisdictions, especially the seven writing data center ordinances, happy to talk through what these changes might mean for a specific parcel.
Municipal Monday runs weekly. Next issue: 7/27.