Data center discussion dominates Whitehall meeting
Whitehall Township's Board of Commissioners is developing a new zoning ordinance for data centers, which had its first public hearing. Residents voiced concerns about water usage, environmental impacts, and traffic. The board also unanimously voted to challenge the proposed Project Atlas data center in neighboring South Whitehall Township due to similar environmental and traffic worries.
The Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners held a meeting on August 10, focusing on a proposed data center zoning ordinance for their township and a resolution to challenge the Project Atlas development in South Whitehall Township.
The proposed Whitehall ordinance aims to amend existing zoning to include specific standards and criteria for data centers, such as prohibiting them on prime agricultural soils, requiring designs to avoid detrimental impacts on environmentally sensitive areas, and minimizing disturbances to natural land. It also includes rules on water requirements and sound studies. The ordinance is currently undergoing a first hearing and requires public advertisement and review by the Whitehall Township Planning Commission and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission before a vote can be taken.
During public comment, residents, including Trish Keenan, expressed significant concerns about the potential impacts of data centers, specifically regarding water usage, environmental effects, noise pollution, and traffic. Keenan argued that the proposed 200-foot setback from residential areas was insufficient, citing studies on noise travel. Other residents highlighted the need for stringent regulations to protect neighbors and raised concerns about heat island effects, which resident Dwight Adam claimed could increase local temperatures significantly.
In a separate but related action, the board unanimously passed a resolution (5-0) to officially participate in, comment on, pursue party status in, and object to the Project Atlas hyperscale data center proposed for South Whitehall Township, near Parkland High School. Commissioners Taylor Stakes and Ken Snyder criticized the Project Atlas developers for not being