Douglass Township supervisors voted unanimously to begin withdrawing from the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee after discovering that fellow member North Coventry Township had quietly commissioned a study identifying potential data center sites within Douglass Township — without ever notifying Douglass officials. Chairman Joshua Stouch called the move "inappropriate and unprofessional," saying it undermined the collaborative spirit the committee was built on. Though Douglass's current zoning permits data centers — language written before the recent surge in hyperscale facility applications — officials are already working to tighten restrictions around noise, vibration, heat, industrial waste and groundwater protection. The township's zoning officer also suggested Douglass might be better served by forming a new regional planning group with more like-minded neighboring communities, such as New Hanover, Boyertown Borough and Washington Township. Formal withdrawal requires a public hearing and advertisement, which the board has authorized its solicitor to initiate.
Source: Town and Country; 5/20/2026