Columbia Borough PA data center zoning (2026)
Columbia Borough, Pennsylvania — Council Votes 4-3 to Remove Data Centers From the Light Business Zone (Pending County Review) and Drafts Data Center Regulations for Industrial Zones (2026)
Columbia Borough, PA · Columbia Borough Council data center zoning amendment (July 14, 2026) and draft data center regulations
- Status
- Proposed / pending
- Applies to
- Data center developers in Columbia Borough.
- Enforced by
- Columbia Borough
In July 2026, Columbia Borough Council in Lancaster County voted 4-3 to take data centers off the list of uses allowed in the light business zone. That change takes the McGinness Airport / McGinness Innovation Park property off the table as a data center site and leaves data centers only in industrial zoning. WGAL reported in September that this ordinance still needs county approval. The council is now working on a second ordinance that would regulate where data centers can go in the light industrial and industrial zones, how large they can be, and their effects on the community and environment. At a September 22 meeting, 40 to 50 residents asked for strict protections.
Who is protected: Columbia Borough residents near the McGinness property and industrial zones.
Legal detail
Columbia Borough (Lancaster County, PA). (1) ZONING AMENDMENT: on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, a council member (Councilman Ethan Byers) brought an ordinance straight to the regular meeting to remove data centers from the light business zoning category. It passed 4-3 (WGAL, July 15; CBS 21 / WHP, July 15, citing a Lancaster Stands Up release). WGAL's September 24 report says 'that ordinance still requires county approval,' meaning Lancaster County Planning review under the Pennsylvania MPC, so final adoption status is not confirmed. Effect: the McGinness Airport property (light business zone) would no longer allow data centers. In May 2026 the council had unanimously rejected Saadia Holdings LLC's bid to buy the property for a data center. (2) REGULATIONS ORDINANCE (draft): rules for data centers in light industrial and industrial zones covering location, size, and community and environmental impacts. Council discussed it at a meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 (7 to 9:30 p.m.), got through about half of the ordinance, and plans another meeting. An earlier meeting on the ordinance was cancelled because the venue could not hold the crowd (WGAL / CBS 21 headlines). NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance numbers, the county review outcome, and the hearing schedule.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Columbia Borough, PA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Citation | Columbia Borough Council data center zoning amendment (July 14, 2026) and draft data center regulations |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Columbia Borough Council hears residents' concerns over data center regulations (WGAL, Sept. 24, 2026) |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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