2 more Centre County townships take steps to prepare for possible data centers

Construction on AI data centers is ramping up across the country, and while development plans have yet to be submitted for one in Centre County, two more local townships are taking initial steps to prepare for the possibility.

The Ferguson Township Planning Commission unanimously voted Monday to recommend that the township’s supervisors direct the commission to look into amending the township’s zoning ordinance to prepare for data centers. The supervisors are expected to take that up at their meeting on Tuesday.

Rush Township supervisors also discussed the possibility this week of creating a zoning ordinance to address data centers, an action College Township became the first local municipality to take in February.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Ferguson Township Planning Administrator Pedro Kuyenga gave a presentation on data centers that commission chair Lewis Steinberg emphasized was for “informational purposes only.”

Steinberg also noted that the commission would not be taking any stances on whether, and where, a potential data center should be built in the township, or what stipulations could be added to an ordinance amendment until the supervisors direct them to take on that matter.

“We are not here to talk about whether something is a good idea or a bad idea,” Steinberg said. “We’re not here to talk about whether we should be looking for locations in our zoning district for a new use. That would be premature. If we were to have any discussion of that, I would use the priority of the chair and just cut it off.”

Residents voice concerns about data centers

Kuyenga’s presentation showed four primary types of data centers — enterprise, colocation, edge and hyperscale — along with the pros and cons for each.

The majority of the conversation throughout and after the presentation revolved around hyperscale centers. Despite having the potential to bring in major tax revenue and economic development, the hyperscale centers also have a huge square-footage footprint, consume massive amounts of energy and water, contribute to pollution and create noise.

During the public comment period, seven people — five township residents and two State College Borough residents — shared their thoughts about the possibility of a data center coming to Ferguson Township. Some also had early ideas on what should be included in an ordinance amendment.

The majority of the speakers were opposed to the possibility of data centers in the township, including Ferguson resident Shelby Klein, who said that the construction of one would forever alter the “beautiful wildlife” and agriculture that the township has worked hard to protect over the years.

Three other speakers, including Penn State Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering Professor Peter Buck and State College resident Kelly Shaffer expressed a desire to see increased protections for residents in a potential ordinance amendment.

“When I think about a data center, which I’ve done a lot of research on too, it doesn’t sound good for me as a business owner,” Shaffer said. “How will noise and other pollution from [data center] cooling systems be managed? I’ve seen a lot about the construction phases, and for people who already have a center near them, it’s not good.”

More discussion on what could be included in the potential amendment would be had at a future meeting if the supervisors go through with the commission’s recommendation, Steinberg said.

If the recommendation is approved, the commission will, at their next meeting(s), take into consideration what should be added to an ordinance amendment for data centers, along with where they may want to limit one to. No concrete timeline for the finalization of a potential amendment was shared.

Possible zoning ordinance in Rush Township

During the Rush Township supervisors’ Tuesday meeting, they briefly discussed the possibility of creating a zoning ordinance to address data centers.

Township solicitor Dave Mason created a copy of a data center ordinance from Londonberry Township in Dauphin County and presented it to the supervisors. He plans to use it as a starting point to create a draft for the township.

According to Mason, the most optimistic timeline for the draft ordinance’s presentation to the supervisors would be at next month’s meeting.

Supervisor Jason Vaux told the CDT after the meeting that no data center plans have been submitted to Rush Township yet, despite some rumors of residents looking to sell their land to a data center. Other landowners across the commonwealth have already sold their land to data centers in exchange for major multi-million dollar payouts.

“I’ve heard a couple of landowners talking about it,” Vaux said. “If we can get ahead of the curve on data centers? Great.”

If Ferguson and Rush townships decide to move forward with their ordinance amendments, they will become the second and third townships in the county to take that step, joining College Township, which saw its zoning ordinance updated for data centers in mid-February.

Those updates included adding the definition of a “data center” to the township’s zoning ordinance, along with its inclusion as a conditional use within the township’s rural residential zoning district.

Reporter Trebor Maitin contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 5:16 PM.