By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Falls Township has posted the draft ordinance it wrote to regulate future data centers. Supervisors are scheduled to discuss it on November 23, according to Lower Bucks Source, with advertising in December and a vote expected early next year. The rules will not apply to the Amazon Web Services campus already under construction.
The Falls Township data center debate started with that campus at the Keystone Trade Center, the former U.S. Steel site. It was approved in March 2025, and plans call for 280 natural gas generators. Township Manager John Shepherd put the limit plainly: the new rules go forward, not backward.
Where Things Stand Before the Vote
In July, supervisors declared part of the zoning ordinance substantively invalid. That may sound drastic to you, but it is a defensive step under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. It starts a 180 day window to write a fix, called a curative amendment, and it shields the township from a developer challenge to those same sections while the work happens.
Under Pennsylvania zoning law, a town generally has to allow a lawful use somewhere within its borders, though it can set where and how. So the real question in Falls is where data centers can go and under what limits. That is the part your comments can still shape.
The Steps Ahead, in Order
First, the supervisors discuss the draft on November 23. It also goes to the Bucks County Planning Commission and the Falls Township Planning Commission for review. Second, the township plans to advertise the ordinance in December. Third, a public hearing and a vote, expected early in 2027. The draft is public now, so you do not have to wait for the hearing to read it.
The draft makes data centers a conditional use in the MPM Materials Processing and Manufacturing District, so each project would need its own approval hearing. Buildings could reach 80 feet but no more than two stories. Equipment that makes noise would have to sit at least 2,000 feet from any residential zoning line or home, with a 100 foot planted buffer where a site touches a residential district. Noise at a residential property line would be capped at 60 decibels by day and 55 at night. Generators would have to meet Tier 4 emissions standards, and cooling would have to run on a closed-loop system.
How Falls Township Data Center Rules Touch Home Values
Levittown homes sold for a median of $415,000 from May through October 2026, per Bright MLS data in our Levittown market report. That figure covers ZIP codes 19054 through 19057, which take in parts of Falls, Bristol Township, Middletown and Tullytown. Homes there went under contract in a median of eight days.
Our read: Levittown homes are still going under contract in about eight days, but a median that covers four ZIP codes cannot tell you how buyers treat the streets closest to the Keystone Trade Center. That is a street by street question. If you are selling, the written limits in this draft give you something solid to point to when your buyer asks what could be built nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Falls Township Data Center
Will the new rules apply to the Amazon data center in Falls Township?
No. Township Manager John Shepherd said the ordinance goes forward, not backward. The Amazon Web Services campus at the Keystone Trade Center was approved in March 2025 and remains under construction under its original approvals.
When will Falls Township vote on data center rules?
Supervisors are scheduled to discuss the draft on November 23. Advertising is planned for December, with a public hearing and an adoption vote expected early in 2027.
What does substantively invalid mean in Pennsylvania zoning?
It is a step under the Municipalities Planning Code where a township declares part of its ordinance flawed. It opens a 180 day window to write a fix and shields those sections from developer challenges in the meantime.
How fast are homes selling in Levittown?
Levittown homes sold for a median of $415,000 from May through October 2026, per Bright MLS. That covers ZIP codes 19054 through 19057, and homes went under contract in a median of eight days.
Before the Falls Township Vote
If you own near the Keystone Trade Center or an industrial district, read the draft now and show up for the November meeting or the public hearing. Your comments made before adoption can still change setbacks and noise limits. If you are buying, ask where the industrial zones sit compared with the street you like.
Our Bucks County housing market report tracks sales across Lower Bucks, and we can pull the numbers for your street.
Thinking about buying or selling in Falls Township? Let’s talk.
