We, the undersigned residents and community members, are asking East Manchester Township and York County officials to slow down the current data center zoning process and ensure meaningful public involvement before any ordinance is finalized or any future projects are allowed near Mount Wolf / Gravel Hill Road.
At this time, no specific data center project has been formally approved. However, the township is actively working on zoning changes that would make large industrial data centers permissible in our area. Once zoning is changed, it becomes much easier for developers to move forward.
That is why community input now is so important.
Data centers are massive industrial facilities that can bring:
Significant water consumption that may affect wells and local supply
Increased truck traffic, noise, and 24/7 lighting
Loss of farmland and open space
Strain on electrical infrastructure
Permanent changes to the character of our community
These impacts deserve careful, transparent review, not rushed decisions.
We respectfully ask our local officials to:
Pause adoption of any data center ordinance until residents have adequate time to review it.
Require independent environmental, traffic, noise, and water-use studies.
Hold well-publicized public hearings in venues large enough for community attendance.
Strengthen zoning protections for residential areas, farmland, and natural resources.
This petition is not anti-progress. It is pro-community, pro-transparency, and pro-responsible planning.
Decisions of this magnitude should include the people who live here.
By signing, you are asking township leaders to slow down, listen to residents, and make thoughtful choices that protect our homes, health, and future.