Allentown Council delays vote on data center ordinance after critics says it’s too lenient
Allentown City Council unanimously tabled a data center zoning ordinance after public feedback deemed it too lenient, particularly concerning buffer zones and environmental studies. Residents voiced strong opposition to a proposed data center on Emmaus Avenue, citing noise and environmental concerns. The Council will reconsider the ordinance and is exploring a "municipal curative amendment" to strengthen regulations.
Allentown City Council unanimously tabled a proposed ordinance regulating data center locations following extensive public comment that deemed the rules too lenient. The decision was influenced by strong community opposition to a specific data center proposal at 2401 Emmaus Avenue in south Allentown, which is located near residential areas, businesses, and a children's nonprofit.
Residents, like Fred Marshall and Corinne Lalik, voiced concerns over potential environmental impacts, noise pollution, and insufficient buffer zones, criticizing the proposed 200-foot setback as inadequate. Advocates from groups like Lehigh Valley Stands Up and Food and Water Watch urged the Council to reject the current ordinance and instead enact a "municipal curative amendment."
This amendment would declare the city's current zoning code "substantially invalid" for data centers, providing a 180-day period for the city to develop more robust regulations while temporarily preventing new data center applications from advancing. City Planning Director Jennifer Gomez had initially pressed for the ordinance's passage due to the current lack of data center guidelines in Allentown's zoning code, a point city staffer Mike Hanzo noted meant data centers are currently evaluated as industrial manufacturing.
The Council is scheduled to reconsider the ordinance at its June 17 meeting, pending a legal review by solicitor Maria Montero on the viability of a municipal curative amendment or other regulatory approaches. Separately, the Allentown Planning Commission will review the Emmaus Avenue data center plans on June 9.