Bethlehem data center rules pass first vote 7-0 as residents call them only a start
Bethlehem City Council voted 7-0 to give initial approval to data center zoning rules that would require public hearings, environmental and infrastructure studies, and buffers from homes and schools. The rules face a final vote on Oct. 20 and would not apply to the data center already proposed on Industrial Drive by Boyle Construction, Paxos and Tensor IQ, prompting residents to call for stronger protections.
Bethlehem City Council gave initial 7-0 approval to the city’s first data center zoning regulations, with a final vote scheduled for Oct. 20. The proposed rules would permit data centers only in the Industrial district and by special exception, while requiring public hearings, studies of water, power, noise and heat, larger setbacks and a 1,000-foot separation from homes, schools and other sensitive uses.
The regulations would not affect the pending 65,000-square-foot Industrial Drive project proposed by Boyle Construction, Paxos and Tensor IQ because its application was filed under the current zoning code. The project is scheduled for Planning Commission review on Nov. 12. Residents generally supported adopting rules but urged stronger limits on water use, energy, environmental impacts, noise and independent studies, while some council members said passing the ordinance now was preferable to leaving data centers unregulated.