Battery storage on Southampton Township land? Look beyond the battery pad.

Make sure you have the right Southampton

This guide concerns Southampton Township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, whose municipal office is at 705 Municipal Drive in Shippensburg. Confirm the municipality for the actual parcel before relying on a Southampton search result.

Send the township a parcel reference or marked map and ask for the zoning district. Keep its answer with the project drawing. If the proposal involves more than one property, identify each parcel and any boundary between municipalities.

A developer may describe the property by a nearby town or postal address. Ask it to use the legal parcel and municipality in the agreement and approval schedule. That makes it easier to compare the land offered with the land being reviewed.

Reference: Southampton Township: code resources

Use the approval record and request the operative copy

The January 27, 2026 minutes record unanimous approval of the data-center/BESS amendment. The township’s 2026 records page identifies it as adopted that day. The linked amendment PDF still has blank ordinance-number and signature fields; request the operative copy and any later changes.

Do not assume the age of an online code determines which rules apply. Ask the planning office to identify the current sections for the proposed battery use, the application process and the documents needed for this parcel.

If a developer has already applied, request the application reference, dated drawing and any written decision. Ask what is approved, what remains under review and whether the offered design differs from the one considered by the township.

Your option, the public approval and the electrical connection are separate matters. Compare their schedules. Find out what happens to the land reservation and payments if one review finishes while another remains unresolved.

Reference: Southampton Township, Franklin County: January 27, 2026 approval minutes · Southampton Township: 2026 records and adoption notice · Southampton Township: published data-center and BESS amendment

Check the entrance before agreeing on a project area

The published amendment describes a conditional-use route in the Highway Commercial/Light Industry district and primary access to a State Route highway or United Drive, together with secondary emergency access. Have the township and designer explain how those provisions apply to the proposal.

Mark every entrance on a drawing. Which route would serve construction trucks, routine maintenance and emergency vehicles? Would a gate, widening or new road affect the way you use the rest of the land?

If access crosses another owner’s property, ask who obtains the right, how long it lasts and what happens if that permission cannot be secured. Your land agreement should explain whether that problem allows the developer to extend its reservation or change the route.

Separate permanent access from temporary work space. A turning area needed during construction may occupy land outside the battery fence. Decide how that area will be restored and when you can use it again.

An access sketch does not establish a right to enter or a highway approval. Ask for the status of both the private rights and the relevant public permissions.

Reference: Southampton Township: published data-center and BESS amendment

Ask for one drawing of the whole development

Request a plan that includes batteries, electrical equipment, cables, access, screening and any proposed solar equipment. Compare it with the option or lease boundary. Ask the team to label permanent use, temporary construction and land that remains available to you.

The published amendment also discusses screening, utility substations and a solar-energy plan. Do not evaluate a battery-only sketch if the proposal needs additional facilities or land to meet its design requirements.

Ask the designer to explain which features depend on land outside the proposed lease. Would retained trees provide screening? Would a cable cross a field you plan to farm? Would a new entrance serve other future phases?

If an improvement will stay on your land after construction, decide who maintains it. Discuss damaged screening, blocked drainage, road repairs and access to retained fields. Give a tenant or farm operator the opportunity to identify conflicts before the layout is fixed.

Compare revised drawings by date. If the footprint grows, ask whether the area, payment and restoration provisions change too. A replacement drawing should not quietly expand the rights you grant.

Reference: Southampton Township: published data-center and BESS amendment

Find out what connection evidence actually exists

The published amendment calls for an electric-provider interconnection agreement. Ask the project team to identify the actual connection document, the design it covers and any remaining conditions.

A nearby line or substation does not establish that the proposed battery can connect. Ask which provider is reviewing the project and whether the team has studied both charging and discharge for the intended operation.

Request an explanation of connection-related land rights and costs. Where would the cable go, who owns the equipment and who pays for required work? Compare the route with the public site plan and your agreement.

If the connection changes, ask whether the company can request more land or a longer option. Identify the extension payment and the point at which full rent starts. Keep those commercial terms explicit rather than tying them to an unexplained statement that the project is approved.

Reference: Southampton Township: published data-center and BESS amendment

Review the removal promise alongside the funding

The published removal provisions discuss financial security, costs beyond that security, property-owner responsibility and a potential lien. Have your adviser review the operative requirements and proposed agreements before accepting those obligations.

Ask for the removal plan, cost estimate and security instrument. Which work is covered? Who can obtain the funds? What happens if equipment is damaged, the company cannot perform or the amount proves insufficient?

Describe the condition you want afterward. You may want a field restored but prefer to retain a useful entrance. Record those choices and compare them with the estimated work. Do not leave the team to decide what you would like to keep.

Ask who updates the estimate and maintains the funding over time. Check whether the private agreement addresses removal and repair after a project transfer, and whether any guarantee is released when the project changes hands.

A county or township permit does not replace a clear private promise about payments and land restoration. Keep the signed documents, approved plan and financial-security records together.

Reference: Southampton Township: published data-center and BESS amendment

Start with the property location and your question

Use the form to send your contact information and location. Pennsylvania and Franklin County are selected; you can change them. Mention Southampton Township and the present use. Acreage and a parcel number are optional.

If you already have an offer, say whether it concerns a battery site, an access route or a larger combined development. Mention any signature request, existing agreement or claimed approval.

Sunland can review what you send and discuss the next questions. The inquiry does not give permission to enter, reserve your property or commit you to a lease or sale.