Upper Mount Bethel sets meeting to consider data center agreement with developers
Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors are holding a special meeting to consider an agreement with data center developers, Slate Belt Holdings, LLC. The agreement involves developers dropping a legal challenge to zoning laws and offering up to $50 million in donations in exchange for zoning changes and project approval. Residents have voiced strong opposition to the proposed development and the previously drafted Memorandum of Understanding.
Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors have scheduled a special meeting to consider a pivotal agreement with data center developers, Slate Belt Holdings, LLC. The proposed agreement stipulates that developers would withdraw a legal challenge against the township's zoning regulations. In return, the developers would offer up to $50 million in nonprofit donations, contingent upon the township collaborating on zoning changes and ultimately approving the expansive data center campus.
The upcoming meeting follows a recent contentious regular board meeting where dozens of residents expressed strong opposition to a preliminary developer-drafted Memorandum of Understanding. Board of Supervisors Chair John Bermingham criticized the initial draft as "one-sided," requesting more time for review. The comprehensive plan includes 23 data center buildings, each spanning over 200,000 square feet, along with an administrative facility.
Environmental protections within a mutually acceptable zoning text amendment are vaguely outlined in the draft agreement, noting they "may contain" reasonable provisions related to noise, parking, utilities, and other factors. Supervisors are also slated to review a draft data center ordinance at the special meeting, a revised version of one previously sent to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.