There are no companies officially proposing to place a data center in Murrysville.
But members of the municipal council don’t feel like waiting until one does to address potential issues that may accompany it.
“There are certainly parcels in Murrysville which could hold a data center,” chief administrator Michael Nestico said. “But it’s not immediately clear how that use would be categorized under our zoning ordinance. We don’t have specifically ‘data center’ as a use listed in our business or mixed-use districts.”
Data centers are industrial-scale facilities that house computer servers and networking equipment used to store and process digital information, often requiring massive amounts of electricity and specialized cooling systems.
The Murrysville Planning Commission will dive into the topic as part of its May 12 meeting agenda.
“Rather than dealing with the uncertainty, we feel it’s best to adopt an ordinance putting something in place that clearly addresses that specific use,” Nestico said.
Data center proposals across Western Pennsylvania have led to questions and concerns from residents and elected officials regarding power usage, noise and a host of other potential issues.
This week, residents had many questions at an open house in Upper Burrell where TECfusions is building a data center. Upper Burrell officials are in the midst of crafting an ordinance but have not yet passed one. The ordinance would not apply to any construction TECfusions has done but would impose guidelines for future work.
Murrysville officials want to avoid that situation.
“We want to be somewhat proactive, considering this is a hot topic and many surrounding communities are increasingly dealing with data center proposals,” Nestico told TribLive. “Rather than waiting for a proposal to come forward, council felt it made sense to establish clear standards ahead of time.”
The planning commission will meet at 7 p.m. at the Murrysville municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road. An agenda is available in advance at Murrysville.com.