Bensalem Township plans to reveal a draft zoning ordinance, governing data center development at the next Council, officials said Monday, seeking to meet the 180-day Council approved in June.
Council President Ed Tokmajian Jr announced Solicitor Joe Pizzo completed a draft version of the zoning ordinance, approximately 30 pages long, that will govern data center development in the township.
Council will take its first pass at the document at the September 28 meeting, with a public comment section.
Bensalem officials in June put a “pause” on any future AI Data Center plans in order to review its current ordinance with an eye on developing tighter restrictions on where such a facility could operate in the township.
Recently, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has openly said he seeks to capitalize on the lack of definitive code-regulated definitions on what an AI Data Center really is operationally in terms of zoning and code enforcement.
Altman said he envisions a future where artificial intelligence functions like a public utility, such as electricity or running water. Instead of flat monthly subscriptions, consumers and businesses would plug into a centralized intelligence grid and purchase AI on a “meter,” paying strictly based on their usage and the computing required.
Credit: Lower Bucks Hospital
The pause followed intense backlash and furor centered around an AI Data Center(s) currently being constructed at the North Point site in Falls Township.
Statewide, there are currently no laws that have actually been adopted to specifically govern data centers. However, as a result of the recent firestorm, Governor Josh Shapiro last month released the Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) initiative to establish strict standards that data centers must comply with to receive support from the Commonwealth.
Shapiro and his opponent in the Governor’s race, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, are on the record having both supported AI development projects in the Commonwealth before the AI debate caught fire in Pennsylvania.
A formal hearing and vote could possibly happen in October, Bensalem officials said.
“We’d still be able to go into the month of November and meet our deadline,” Township Solicitor Joe Pizzo said.
Credit: Submitted