Tarentum officials don’t want to get caught with their hands tied should a developer propose a data center, crypto mining facility or battery storage site in the borough.
Council is drafting three ordinance updates to safeguard the borough against large-load facilities, in light of a project in Springdale that will transform the 47-acre former Cheswick Generating Station into a data center.
That council had no recourse when developers from Allegheny DC Property Co. proposed the data center near a residential neighborhood off Pittsburgh Street because ordinances didn’t explicitly govern that type of development.
“The important part is we’re being proactive,” Tarentum Council President Scott Dadowski said. “If you pay attention to what’s happening 3 miles down the road, they kind of got railroaded. In a good way, we don’t have that big spot on the river like they have, so that’s a blessing in disguise.
“We don’t have anyone beating down our door but we’re trying to close all loopholes.”
Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said the purpose of the ordinances is not to determine if data centers are good or bad but to establish a framework that protects the borough should a proposal be submitted.
Updated laws will focus on zoning, electric and water. They would establish where uses are allowed as well creating standards and development requirements regarding noise, lighting and setbacks.
As proposed, regulated facilities would be prohibited in residential, public, riverfront overlay, traditional neighborhood development and other zoning districts where commercial or industrial uses are not specifically authorized.
“I want to do something now rather than jumping through hoops later,” Councilwoman Lou Ann Homa said.
Tarentum is one of only a handful of municipalities in the state that operates its own electric and water distribution systems, which presents a unique operational, liability and financial consideration.
Data centers, for example, use millions of gallons of water a day to cool operations.
“Some of them would use more electricity than the entire town uses in a day,” Boddorf said. “It would put a severe strain on our grid.”
Updated ordinances would ensure that the costs to upgrade electrical or water distribution systems would fall on developers.
“We want to make sure existing ratepayers are not burdened,” Boddorf said.
“Former councils never envisioned something that would put this kind of strain on our system. This is everywhere now. If a proposal comes through and we would not be prepared, it would be too late.”
Borough junior council member Gavyne Kilgore said he’s worried about the exorbitant water use and the strain on the Allegheny River and its wildlife.
“With these AI data centers, the most cheap and efficient way to cool their system is to pump water from the river,” he said. “If they do that, they’ll filter out natural micro-wildlife.”
Kilgore said the Allegheny River is home to endangered species of mussels, clams and fish, and the warmer, filtered water coming from an industry could decimate them.
“Those species have the best and most efficient cleaning for our rivers,” Kilgore said.
For people nervous that the large tracts of land in upper West Tarentum could accommodate a computer facility, council said the zoning would bar development there because it is residential.
In Tarentum, there is no vacant land large enough in a commercial/industrial zone to accommodate this type of use. But a developer could buy an existing warehouse, demolish it and build something new.
“You can’t outright ban something, but you can set reasonable restrictions on where they go and how they’re used,” Boddorf said.
In the Alle-Kiski Valley, centers are being planned or discussed in Upper Burrell, Springdale and South Strabane. Regionally, power plants being considered in Homer City and Shippingport, specifically to cater to data centers.
Tarentum is among several municipalities working to ward off development with undesired effects on residents. Fawn, East Deer and Gilpin have recently upgraded ordinances regarding computer facilities and similar uses.
The Tarentum drafts will go through legal review before council votes.