Conewago Township, York County
Florida-based Elysian Partners and the Rexroth family farm business asked Conewago Township, York County, to allow a data center on 541 acres of farmland on Bowers Bridge Road, and the township has paused data center applications until January 3, 2027 while it drafts an ordinance that would steer data centers into an overlay that's mostly industrial land.
July 1, 2025: a draft conditional use text amendment for data centers reached the township without an application form or fee. August 25, 2025: Elysian's Kevin Brown presented it to the planning commission. September 22, 2025: a Rexroth Properties representative said the farm's solar option had expired, and Elysian said sound would stay under 60 decibels at the property line. October 27, 2025: more than 100 people filled Bible Baptist Church for a planning commission meeting that ran past 10 p.m.; every speaker opposed the request and a 464-signature petition was filed. December 2, 2025: supervisors hired Eckert Seamans as data center counsel. March 23, 2026: the farm's owner asked to address the next planning commission meeting, but no April meeting was held. July 7, 2026: supervisors adopted a 180-day moratorium (Resolution 2026-13). July 23 and August 20, 2026: special meetings on the township's draft ordinance and overlay map. September 1, 2026: the manager said no applications or plans had been received. September 28, 2026: the planning commission reviewed the latest draft.
The township's September 22, 2026 draft would cap data center sound at homes and other sensitive receptors at 45 dBA by day and 40 dBA at night (60 and 50 on the C-weighted scale that captures low-frequency sound), no more than 5 dBA above measured background levels within 2,500 feet, with compliance measured while backup power is running.
Conewago TownshipRezoning 541 ac of farmland crossed by TMI/Brunner Island/York Haven transmission; residents cite wildlife on Conewago Creek (eagles, osprey, mink, otter) and rural character.
Keystone Newsroom / York Daily RecordElysian Partners told the planning commission on September 22, 2025 that sound from the facility, including its backup generators, would be held to a maximum of 60 decibels at the property line.
Conewago TownshipElysian's Kevin Brown told the planning commission on August 25, 2025 that the facility would provide water only for human consumption and use electricity to cool its computers; in September he said it would mainly rely on air cooling, ideally a closed-loop system.
Conewago TownshipThe September 2026 draft would bar a data center from using groundwater or raw water except for dust control during construction, require public water and sewer with a will-serve letter, and allow only air-cooled, closed-loop or hybrid cooling.
Conewago TownshipThe 541-acre site is crossed by several high-voltage transmission lines tied to the former Three Mile Island, Brunner Island and York Haven Hydro plants, which is what drew developers' interest, and residents told the planning commission they feared big increases in their electric bills, according to the York Daily Record.
Keystone Newsroom / York Daily RecordAt the October 27, 2025 planning commission meeting, owners of homes surrounded by the Rexroth parcels said they didn't think they could sell if a data center were built, and one neighbor said 26 homes and 3 farms surround the property.
Conewago TownshipAt the July 23, 2026 special meeting, Planning Commission Chairman Daryl Hull asked that backup generators meet Tier 4 emission standards and that all generators be included in testing; the township's attorney said Tier 4 could be added and that generator testing is controlled by DEP.
Conewago TownshipElysian's Kevin Brown described a typical data center as employing about 120 people over three shifts.
Conewago TownshipLeaders: No named leaders; about two dozen residents spoke at the October 27, 2025 meeting
Tactics: 100+ turnout at Bible Baptist Church (Oct 27 2025), 4+ hour meetings, dozens of anti-data center lawn signs along Bowers Bridge Rd, rural-character and farmland-preservation framing
Opposes the Rexroth Farms / Elysian Partners rezoning (P037) in rural York County. Unusual dynamic: the landowner publicly sought dialogue.
Tactics: Residents submitted a petition titled "Petition to stop AI data centers in Conewago Township and protect our community's future" at the October 27, 2025 planning commission meeting, along with written comments.
The minutes list 464 signatures. The township chairperson said in January 2026 that about six Facebook pages discuss the data center issue, but township records don't name them.
The resolution pauses data center applications for 180 days while the township writes a data center ordinance. The township's July 23, 2026 presentation says it also keeps a developer from filing a substantive validity challenge over the zoning ordinance's lack of data center provisions during that time.
Conewago Township · In effect through January 3, 2027In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.
How communities push back →