If you want to know what a data center means for a small community over time, don't argue about projections. Look at a place that has already lived it. Quincy, Washington, is one of the clearest examples of how a community can benefit from a data center.

Although no specific project is before them, Penn Forest Township's Board of Supervisors passed one of the most stringent data center ordinances in Pennsylvania. Below is a plain-language look at what it actually requires.

Water is usually at the top of a community’s list of concerns around data center development. Residents worry about water use, whether their wells may run dry, and who is on the hook for replacing the water if that happens. The Penn Forest ordinance makes clear that the answer is: the developer.

Cloud computing, AI, streaming, mobile banking — nearly everything people do online runs through a data center somewhere. As demand for those services keeps growing, so does the need for the additional physical infrastructure to support them and the property to build them on.

The zoning process separates cities into different areas, such as residential or industrial, to regulate the use of land and buildings. Zoning ordinances then dictate how a structure—a data center, a housing complex, or a warehouse—can be built and operated on that land depending on its designation. It sounds very mundane, but those ordinances matter more than most people realize.