<p>Margaret Roarty | Times Leader</p>

Margaret Roarty | Times Leader

<p>Margaret Roarty | Times Leader</p>

Margaret Roarty | Times Leader

<p>Margaret Roarty | Times Leader</p>

Margaret Roarty | Times Leader

BUTLER TWP. — Butler Township Board of Supervisors, during a general meeting on Tuesday, approved a resolution that deemed the portions of the zoning ordinance invalid, as it does not address or define data centers.

This decision paves the way for the board to adopt a municipal curative amendment to the zoning ordinance to regulate the facilities.

Originally, the supervisors were set to hold a hearing on a proposed ordinance to regulate data centers, but that was canceled, and the above-mentioned resolution was added to the agenda instead.

Adopting a curative amendment was recommended by the planning commission during a special meeting on May 11.

According to board solictior Donald Karpowich, the resolution declaring the zoning ordinance invalid includes a limited moratorium of 180 days to adopt the curative amendment, which would give the township’s planning commission time to draft a more comprehensive data center ordinance.

During this time, the township is not required to consider any zoning permit, application, zoning approval, or landowner curative amendment for any use or development related or similar to a data center or data center accessory use.

Karpowich encouraged residents who want to comment on or offer input on the curative amendment to attend an upcoming planning commission meeting, where it will be discussed.

The agenda for the next meeting has not been posted yet, but it will be held at 5:30 p.m. on June 1.

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Margaret Roarty
Margaret Roarty started at the Times Leader in 2023 as a general news reporter and recently transitioned into covering Wilkes-Barre City and other municipal government news. In her weekly Times Leader column, "In Frame," she shares her passion for filmmaking by exploring the rich arts and entertainment history in Luzerne County, while also offering movie recommendations and reviews. In addition to her reporting for the Times Leader, Margaret is a former contributor to The Film Magazine, an online publication focusing on film analysis and reviews. Her entertainment writing can also be found on Cherry Pickers, Directed By Women, and the Bright Lights Film Journal. Her short fiction can be found in Dark Sire Literary Journal's 9th issue. She is also co-host of "Women Are Reading," a book club podcast where she interviews authors and reviews books with her sister, Katie. In 2026, she joined The Luzerne County Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame arts committee. Margaret grew up in Luzerne Borough and currently resides in Forty Fort, along with her fiancé, a library full of books, and their orange cat, Jack. In her free time, Margaret can be found obsessively logging films into her Letterboxd, cooking pasta, and writing fiction stories about romantic and fantastical things.