East Pennsboro data-center batteries: questions for the property owner

Find out what the company is actually proposing

Ask whether the offer is for an independent battery project or batteries serving a data center. If it is a larger development, request a plan that shows the buildings, equipment, utility routes, access and temporary work areas together.

Identify the landowner, developer, building owner, tenant and battery operator. Ask whether the same company would hold all of those roles. If different companies are involved, find out which one would sign your land agreement and make your payments.

Explain what you currently use the property for and what you want to retain. A developer needs to know about tenants, shared entrances, business deliveries and future improvements before it settles the proposed layout.

If the company refers to the township’s data-center ordinance, ask it to identify the applicable provisions and the actual review route. A use definition is not a parcel approval, a utility commitment or evidence that the company can build its proposal.

Use the adopted record and the project’s own approvals

The township directs readers to eCode for approved ordinances. Its separate law list identifies 864-2026 as adopted September 16, 2026. Keep that source distinct from an earlier advertisement or discussion draft.

Ask the developer for the current rules it is using, the application drawings and any decisions already issued. If the proposal changes, have it explain which documents must be revised and which parts remain open.

Find out whether the property’s actual district and boundaries have been checked. Do not infer the zoning from a mailing address, neighboring development or description such as industrial land. The project team should show how its proposal fits the location.

Keep public approvals separate from your private agreement. A planning decision does not tell you what the company will pay, how long it may reserve the property or which rights it would keep if construction never starts.

Reference: East Pennsboro: current meetings and official ordinance resources · East Pennsboro: adopted laws awaiting incorporation into the code

Ask what happens when a new tenant arrives

The adopted ordinance requires tenant-change review before new operations and addresses change-of-use permits. A replacement tenant is therefore a matter to check against the approvals, not just a new name on a rent check.

If you would remain the building or land owner, ask who gives the township notice, prepares the review and provides you with the result. Decide which records you receive before the new tenant begins using the property.

Have the company explain whether the new tenant would alter the battery use, deliveries, cooling equipment, noise, access or utility demand. Ask for an updated description and drawing where the physical arrangement changes.

Review your own consent rights with your adviser. A public tenant review and a private assignment clause serve different purposes. Find out whether the developer can change tenants, operators or its ownership without your approval, and who remains responsible for payment and performance.

Reference: East Pennsboro: adopted September 16, 2026 ordinance 864-2026

Keep the approved operating plan available

The ordinance’s annual resource report does not itself authorize an expansion or increased approved utility demand. Filing a report should not be described to you as permission for a larger project.

Ask for a record of the approved operating arrangement and a clear account of proposed changes. You need to know what would change on the land, who approves it and what the company is asking you to accept.

If the battery is replaced or expanded, ask whether the work changes the equipment area, access route, construction schedule or maintenance obligations. Find out whether it needs additional land rights rather than assuming the original agreement covers it.

Make the drawings easy to track. Keep the approved version, later revisions and notices together. Ask the company to identify which version is current so a future property buyer or adviser is not left comparing conflicting plans.

Reference: East Pennsboro: adopted September 16, 2026 ordinance 864-2026

A battery change can affect the removal estimate

The ordinance calls for updated decommissioning cost estimates after substantial equipment changes or tenancy changes, as well as periodic updates. Ask how the actual project will keep its removal funding current.

Request the latest estimate and evidence of the required security. Ask which company maintains it, who receives renewal notices and how you would learn about a shortfall or lapse.

Compare the estimate with the equipment and rights on your property. If the project adds a battery, cable route or other improvement, find out whether the estimate and removal plan account for the change.

Discuss who pays for updating the estimate and increasing the funding. Do not leave that cost to an unexplained clause about the owner. Identify the responsible party in the proposed agreements and have your adviser review whether the obligation survives a transfer.

Reference: East Pennsboro: adopted September 16, 2026 ordinance 864-2026

Public security and your private protection need separate review

The ordinance provides for decommissioning security and recovery of unpaid township costs, including lien provisions. Have your adviser examine the actual documents and how they would affect your ownership; this guide does not determine your individual liability.

Ask whom the public security protects and what work it funds. Then ask whether your land agreement provides separate protection for damage, unpaid rent and restoration duties that the public arrangement may not address.

Identify how you can raise a problem and what evidence the developer must supply. A promise that the township has a bond does not explain your own rights under the lease or the steps you take if required work is not done.

If the project company changes, ask how the successor takes on the obligations. Keep the current responsible company, contact details, funding evidence and any releases in your records. A transfer should not leave you dealing with a company that no longer controls the equipment.

Reference: East Pennsboro: adopted September 16, 2026 ordinance 864-2026

Match the land agreement’s end date to the larger project

Ask what happens if the battery stops operating while the data center continues, or if the tenant leaves while equipment remains. Your agreement should explain those situations rather than relying on a general statement that the project will eventually close.

Discuss which equipment would be removed from your parcel and which improvements you might retain. Identify roads, drainage, underground routes and shared facilities separately. Do not assume that the battery fence defines all of the work.

Find out who maintains the property during the interval between shutdown and removal. Ask about gates, drainage, vegetation, security and emergency contacts. Determine how your normal use of retained land would continue during that work.

If you sell the land before the project ends, ask which duties and rights would transfer to the buyer. Keep the current agreement, drawings and funding records available for that review. A buyer needs the present arrangement, not only the original offer.

Separate community commitments from your land payment

The ordinance addresses a community-benefits package and a developer agreement. Those public commitments should be reviewed separately from the money and rights offered to you as the property owner.

Ask the company to identify your payment schedule, any conditions and which entity owes the money. A description of benefits to the community does not answer when your option payment or rent is due.

If the proposal includes improvements that serve both the project and your retained property, ask who owns and maintains them. Discuss whether you may keep them later and whether that affects restoration.

Put unanswered public-review and commercial questions on the option schedule. Ask what milestones the company must reach, what an extension costs and when unused land rights must be released. You can consider an offer without assuming every part of the larger development is settled.

Reference: East Pennsboro: adopted September 16, 2026 ordinance 864-2026

Tell us the location and the proposed arrangement

The form starts with your name, email and phone number, then the property location. Cumberland County and Pennsylvania are editable. Acreage and parcel number are optional for an initial discussion.

Mention whether the inquiry concerns independent storage or batteries proposed with a data center. Explain whether you would offer vacant land, an existing building or a route across retained property.

If a company has already approached you, describe the requested rights and the part of the proposal you want to understand. Include any tenant, access or future-use issue that could affect the arrangement.

Sending the form starts a review of your information. It does not sign a land agreement, approve a tenant change or establish utility capacity. Any project still needs a suitable site, the actual approvals and workable owner terms.