Zoning 101: The Rules Behind What Gets Built Near You

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.

Why We Need Zoning  

Zoning ordinances are the reason why there isn’t a sewage plant on your cul-de-sac or a factory next to the school playground. That’s because zoning is used to protect the health and safety of communities, maintain residents’ property values, and keep incompatible property uses separate.

The Zoning Authority

In Penn Forest, the township's Board of Supervisors has the legal authority to draft, pass, amend, and update zoning ordinances and zoning maps that spell out what's allowed within each zone's boundaries. When someone disputes those rules, that's where a Zoning Hearing Board comes in — the body that handles ordinance challenges, property appeals, and variances.

Updating Outdated Zoning Ordinances

Many townships and municipalities have zoning codes which were written long before today's data center boom. Without an updated code that includes data centers, they are left "somewhat vulnerable if a prospective developer comes in with an application," as one township official put it. To protect residents, local communities must put guardrails in place now.

Data Center Ordinance

Penn Forest Township is one of those communities that has updated its zoning codes for data centers to ensure stringent regulations are in place to protect community interests.

***