Fairview Township Zoning Amendment (York)
Fairview Township, York County
A zoning response from Fairview Township, York County, adopted so the community would have standards in place rather than reacting to whatever arrives first.
The project by the numbers
Fairview Township, York County moved first and wrote its own rules
- Current stage
- Zoning amendment adopted allowing data centers; no application pending.
- Decision body
- Fairview Township
- Top issues
- The questions here are about the rules themselves, including how far equipment must sit from homes, what noise limits apply, and whether a municipality can set terms before an application arrives.
Passed zoning amendment to allow DCs; no plans submitted. Fairview Township passed a zoning ordinance change to allow data centers, and the township said no plans had been submitted at the time. The amendment is part of a broader midstate pattern of municipalities zoning before an application arrives, on the reasoning that a municipality which provides no place for a use invites a validity challenge.
Coverage of this project
- 2025-08-24 ABC27 (WHTM)Midstate communities prepare for data centersFairview passed a zoning change allowing data centers with no plans submitted
Know your rights
In Pennsylvania, a data center on industrial land usually needs a special exception or conditional use, decided by a local Zoning Hearing Board after a public, quasi-judicial hearing. Neighbors can request party status, cross-examine witnesses, and build an evidentiary record. Municipalities can also write data-center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Take action
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 ask your municipality for a moratorium and a real ordinance.
How communities push back →