Allen Township warehouse could become Lehigh Valley’s first hyperscale data center

Prologis has secured unanimous approval from Allen Township supervisors to transform a one-million-square-foot warehouse located at 2500 Liberty Drive into a hyperscale data center, potentially making it the first such facility in the Lehigh Valley. This approval, granted in March, represents a quicker entry into the market compared to new construction projects. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's comprehensive planning committee, however, reviewed the plans and highlighted the need for more information from the developer regarding the center's operations, water and electricity use, cooling systems, and emergency response plans. Commissioner Christopher Amato emphasized the importance of setting standards for future proposals, given this could be the region's first operational data center. Jill Seitz, LVPC's chief community and regional planner, noted that repurposing an existing warehouse aligns with the commission's land-preservation goals and could generate less traffic than a traditional warehouse. However, she recommended that Allen Township carefully review impacts related to noise and light, and urged the township to refine its zoning ordinance to better classify future data center developments. The full Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is slated to vote on a letter requesting more information from Prologis.