Battery storage land in South Strabane Township, Pennsylvania

Confirm the place and the proposed use

This guide covers South Strabane Township in Washington County. It is a different municipality from Straban Township in Adams County. Use the actual parcel location when asking about zoning; a similar township name or mailing address is not enough.

Ask the company to describe what the battery would do. Would it be a separate grid-storage business, equipment serving a data center, or part of another energy project? Get the answer beside a drawing of the equipment, entrance and electrical route. A description such as “energy infrastructure” leaves too much unexplained.

If the company changes its proposal, revisit the land rights and the approval route together. Permission you considered for one project should not quietly become support for a different use, a larger site or a new operating company.

Separate the battery draft from adopted data-center rules

The Township’s March public notice expressly identifies the linked March 5 BESS proposal as draft. The current code publisher’s New Laws list separately identifies the June 9 Data Center Ordinance. That signed ordinance addresses batteries proposed as data-center uses, accessory uses or equipment.

This guide has not established a final standalone BESS enactment. Ask the Township for the current adopted text, any later amendments and the review route for the actual proposal. Ask the developer which provisions it relies on and who has confirmed that interpretation. The fact that a draft can be downloaded is not an approval.

Do not assume that a smaller battery falls outside review because a draft defines utility-scale equipment at a particular size. Likewise, a data-center battery clause does not establish that an independent grid project qualifies. The relevant question is how the actual use is classified under the rules in force when it applies.

Keep a copy of the answer with the drawing and the agreement you are considering. If the company only has a preliminary conversation or an upcoming hearing, describe it that way. Ask what remains unresolved and how that affects the time it wants to hold your property.

Reference: South Strabane Township: March notice identifying proposed BESS rules as draft · South Strabane Township: March 5 BESS draft, not an adopted ordinance · South Strabane Township: adopted legislation awaiting codification · South Strabane Township: signed June 9, 2026 Data Center Ordinance, battery clause pages 7–8

Keep an application permission separate from a land deal

The adopted data-center ordinance calls for an affidavit or agreement confirming landowner permission to apply. Before signing any application permission, ask for the completed document, the named applicant and all drawings it references. Have your adviser explain the scope of the permission.

Compare that document with any private entry agreement, option, easement or lease. Identify who may enter, what testing is allowed, how much notice you receive and who repairs damage. Ask whether the company can change the application or drawing without returning to you.

For example, you might consider a battery on one corner while an option reserves the whole parcel. Ask why the larger area is needed and when unused land is released. Mark temporary staging, roads, cables and any restrictions on the land you intend to retain.

Application permission does not answer your payment questions. Put the reservation period, extension payments, rent-start event and release provisions in the actual land agreement. Discuss what happens if the applicable rules change or the company cannot obtain its intended approval.

Reference: South Strabane Township: signed June 9, 2026 Data Center Ordinance, battery clause pages 7–8

Ask what a combined site would share

If the proposal involves a data center or an existing energy development, ask which company owns each part and which rights it needs from you. Identify shared roads, gates, electrical equipment, water facilities and emergency access. A combined drawing is easier to assess than separate descriptions that omit shared areas.

The adopted data-center ordinance includes battery-specific fire protection requirements. Have the project team explain how its proposed storage and response arrangements would be reviewed. Ask who maintains shared access and how you reach the responsible operator during a problem.

Keep electrical review separate from land-use review. Ask for the actual connection status, the work still required, who pays for upgrades and the effect of delay on your agreement. Nearby lines or a neighboring project do not establish a usable connection for this proposal.

If a tenant or existing business uses your property, discuss its entrances, deliveries and operating needs early. Check whether proposed fencing, construction or emergency access would interfere. Do not rely on the equipment footprint alone to describe the land affected.

Reference: South Strabane Township: signed June 9, 2026 Data Center Ordinance, battery clause pages 7–8

Resolve removal and transfer responsibilities before signing

The March battery draft discusses reclamation and financial security, but a proposal is not a funded guarantee for your property. Ask for the actual removal obligations and security documents that would apply to the final project. Check who can use the security, when it starts and how it stays available.

Discuss equipment, foundations, buried cables, roads and drainage separately. Specify the condition you expect at the end and how it will be documented. Ask what happens if construction stops before the project operates or if the operator cannot complete the work.

Public requirements and private promises may protect different parties. Have your adviser compare the company’s obligations to the Township with its obligations to you. Do not assume that naming a public body in an insurance policy or security arrangement covers every owner concern.

If the project is transferred, ask how the new company takes over payments, maintenance and removal obligations. Keep current contacts and all approved changes with the original agreement. A company sale should not leave you uncertain about who is responsible for the site.

Reference: South Strabane Township: March 5 BESS draft, not an adopted ordinance · South Strabane Township: signed June 9, 2026 Data Center Ordinance, battery clause pages 7–8

Ask Sunland about your South Strabane property

Start with your name, email and phone, then the property location. Acreage and parcel number are optional for the initial inquiry. If there is no street address, describe the road and nearby location.

Tell us what the land is used for and which part you would consider leasing or selling. Mention an existing offer, tenant, shared entrance or proposed application if it affects your decision. You do not need to commission a survey or file a zoning request before contacting us.

The form starts a property discussion. It does not reserve your land, authorize entry or approve an application. Further review needs to establish the actual rights, current requirements, connection and commercial fit.