“I could go from having a desirable home in Muncy Township to a property that’s worthless within a day if this planning commission doesn’t do something to help protect our rights as residents of the township,” said Sean Tetreault.

After hearing some of the speakers at the meeting listing the hazards of living near the centers, Tetreault said that it sounds like he has two options.

“My well goes to crap — I have no water — or they’re going to have these systems that are so loud that it’s miserable at my house,” he said.

In April the township had received what they’re labeling as “materials” from DANKO Holdings II/Fishlips LLC. which signaled that they were exploring the possibility of locating a data center on a property which is zoned industrial.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Joe Lyons and Daniel Vassollo review their notes prior to a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

That sparked a rush by the township to put in place a moratorium on data centers and begin the process of drawing up an ordinance setting conditions for data centers.

Wednesday’s hearing was just the first in a series of hearings the planning commission plans to hold in order to gather information and citizen concerns before they formulate an ordinance, according to commission chairman Larry Spatz. He indicated that the meetings will be held on the first and third Wednesday of every month until the matter is resolved.

Spatz had laid out the ground rules for the meeting and the result was a more organized proceeding than residents have become accustomed to at township meetings, a fact that he acknowledged.

“I expect this to be a calm meeting. One of the few calm meetings that we have had in our township,” Spatz said.

During the meeting, several speakers elaborated on the cons of having a data center in the community.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Joe Lyons refers to a neighboring community's data center ordinance during a Muncy Township ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

“There are many different types of these data centers that are out there,” said the township’s zoning officer, Joe Lyons.

“There are many, many different ways that these are constructed that are very bad in a way of environmental,” he said.

Lyons shared that he also works with other municipalities that are working through the same things as Muncy Township is, with not having an ordinance to specifically deal with data centers.

He noted that some areas have data centers that have been there for a long time, whereas others are excessively large and “those are the ones that can cause a lot of potential issues.”

He said that the main concerns are the amount of power the centers need to operate and the amount of water used for cooling.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sean Tetreault offers his thoughts of having a data center next to his home during a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

He talked about the types of systems data centers can use that would help alleviate those concerns and suggested various things that need to be in a proposed ordinance to cover the issues that data centers bring.

“You, as residents…if you’re looking at these and saying, you know I don’t want them because these are all the problems, but the ordinance is where you can control what does go,” he said.

He encouraged the group to think about what the centers will look like — how big will they be-when drafting an ordinance.

“You’re the voice, you’re the ones that can say what comes into the municipality, whether you realize it or not,” Lycons said.

Dan Vassallo, the township’s engineer, also offered some conditions that could be placed on any data center seeking to locate in the township.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Malcolm Barlow, left and John Schaeffer, co-owners of Muncy Farms offers their thoughts of having a data center next to their property during a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

The height of the buildings that could be constructed, the buffer zone between that and adjoining properties plus the emergency planning needed in case of a fire at a center. These were just some of the topics that Vassallo shared with those at the meeting.

He also addressed the issue of water usage, questioning if a data center would be drawing from the Susquehanna River, which is located nearby the possible Muncy Township center.

‘If they’re taking it out of the Susquehanna River, we need to do a lot of studies. A feasibility study of water intake and it depends on if we’re in a drought. Can they actually take it out of the river at that time?” Vassallo said.

Several residents had expressed concerns that data centers might drill wells for their water needs which could affect the water supply of neighboring properties.

“Let’s be honest, where are they getting the water from? If they drill down, I already have two wells running to my house, so if they drill down in that field and they start sucking all this water…I’ll have no water. I’ll have to drill a well six times deeper or four more. Then what does that do to me? What does that do to us trying to sell the property…we’ll get nothing for it. It’s not worth anything,” Tetreault said.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Clifford Good questions highway access to a possible data center near his home during a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

He said he wasn’t against development in the township, just that it should be done responsibly.

“I know they’re going to build something. I just want to make sure it’s done responsibly where my way of life, our family’s way of life is not impeded at all,” he said.

Towards the end of the meeting, commission member Larry Fry brought up the fact that the township cannot forbid a data center from locating within its boundaries.

Pennsylvania is a “fair share” state according to the Municipal Planning Code, which all municipalities have to abide by. This means that a municipality has to provide for all legitimate land uses — meaning they cannot outright ban a data center. That would be exclusionary zoning, which is illegal.

What they can do, and Vasallo offered this suggestion, is put so many conditions in their ordinance that the developers would decide the project wasn’t worth the effort to pursue.

“Even if the ordinance goes through and we have an ordinance, they still have to go through our SALDO-subdivision and land development-and that’s where a lot of these other things will become in effect,” Vassallo said.

Buffering, stormwater and highway access were some of the issues Vassallo mentioned.

“All that stuff will be addressed and they will have to jump through those hoops,” Vassallo said.

“You’re either going to have an ordinance that says it’s permitted or you’re going to have one that’s required to have a conditional use or it’s going to have to be a special exception. Those are usually the three,” Vassallo said.

He explained that the permitted says it’s a lot to be done and they can go through zoning and sourdough subdivision land development. A conditional use has to go through the supervisors for approval. The planning commission will recommend so they have some input, but it goes to supervisors for approval.

‘The supervisors can tell them to stand on their heads and face east as part of one of the conditions. That’s unrealistic, and they can’t put conditions on it that financially prohibits them from doing the thing, like make your roads and all your driveways all out of gold. It’s a slight line on what you can ask them to do, but there are conditions you can do. I’ve been involved in two conditional uses that have been denied,” he said.

He shared that at one time he had been involved with a conditional use that had 19 conditions on it.

“That project was approved by the supervisors with 19 conditions. You don’t see that development there right now because they can never meet those conditions, so it can happen,” he said. He noted that the developers in that case walked away from the project.

John Schaeffer, who with his uncle, Malcolm Barlow, owns Muncy Farms, shared that he and his uncle were approached by a real estate agent about a year ago, inquiring if they would sell the farm to a client who wanted to “own a trophy property.”

“I just said no, of course not, and it never occurred to me until they dropped that application what that was about because what it was about was they would buy all 800 of our acres speed as much data center as they could from you; probably go to our back floodable fields, sell that to Hanson; mine the hell out of that; and then just chop of the rest,” Schaeffer said.

“That’s what developers do. They don’t live here. It just means another transaction. It means a faster plane or a bigger yacht or a fancier house,” he said.

“My question is, do you really believe that it’s a 100-acre project or is this the beginning?” Schaeffer asked.

During the meeting it was mentioned that the Lycoming County Planning Commission was offering their expertise with helping smaller municipalities which do not have their planning handled by the county in drafting an ordinance.

“Unfortunately we’re not part of Lycoming County (planning). We have our own zoning and our own planning and that in itself is an amazing amount of power we took back from them,” Spatz said.

“If we were part of them, yes, we would be covered under their umbrellas, but we’re not, so you gotta look at it being a good thing and it being a bad thing,” he added.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Karin Waugh shares research she has done during a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sam Burleigh shares his experiences while working with Concerned Citizens of Montour County during a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sam Burleigh shares his experiences while working with Concerned Citizens of Montour County during a Muncy Township data center ordinance review meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Muncy Township Planning Commission held the informational meeting to hear public comments as a first step to establishing an ordinance to guide them through data center requests within their jurisdiction.