West Rockhill Township, Bucks County
National Land Developers wants to build a data center at 215 Cathill Road near Sellersville, now listed by the township as a 350,000 square foot plan, and has asked the Zoning Hearing Board for a special exception while West Rockhill works on a third round of data center rules.
NLD and Greener by Design showed the Planning Commission an informal sketch plan for 215 Cathill Road on Oct. 14, 2025. Supervisors adopted a first data center ordinance (Ordinance 256) on April 15, 2026 before nearly 200 residents, promising changes. On May 20 they advanced Ordinance 257 and formed a citizens advisory committee. The Planning Commission recommended against Ordinance 257 as drafted on June 9. NLD filed its Zoning Hearing Board application on July 10, and supervisors adopted Ordinance 257 on July 15. They introduced Ordinance 260 on Aug. 19, the Bucks County Planning Commission endorsed it Sept. 2, and the township Planning Commission recommended an outside legal review before adoption.
At the 2025 sketch review a resident estimated 5,000 gallons a day per building plus fire suppression would exceed the 10,000 gallon a day threshold for a water resource impact study, and neighbors worried about their wells. The applicant said it prefers public water and could switch to a closed-loop system.
West Rockhill TownshipNeighbors raised noise bouncing off the Route 309 corridor, and the applicant said noise studies would come during land development. Ordinance 260 would add sound limits by zoning district, limits on tonal noise and a required sound and vibration study by an acoustical expert.
West Rockhill TownshipA resident asked about fire suppression chemicals given existing PFAS contamination of area wells; the applicant said the chemical hadn't been chosen and would depend on the fire department or state code.
West Rockhill TownshipThe applicants told the Planning Commission in 2025 the facility would employ about 18 people across three shifts.
West Rockhill TownshipTactics: Drafting ordinance amendments based on PennFuture's model ordinance, public comment, urging support for state moratorium bills
Supervisors approved a citizens advisory committee on May 20, 2026. The group drafted a second set of amendments, and the Aug. 19 supervisors' minutes say Ordinance 260 incorporates the vast majority of its recommendations.
Tactics: Online petition
Started by two neighbors who live across from the site; 3,690 verified signatures as of July 20, 2026.
Request for a special exception to build a data center at 215 Cathill Road, filed with a one-page sketch plan. No land development plan has been filed.
National Land Developers (applicant); West Rockhill Township · Hearing schedule postponed by the applicant, per the township's October 2026 plan status reportIn 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 →