Developer proposes data center on Allentown's East Side
J.G. Petrucci Company has submitted plans for a 146,000-square-foot data center on Allentown's East Side, marking the second such proposal in the city. Allentown's City Council recently adopted more restrictive data center ordinances, creating uncertainty about which regulations will apply to J.G. Petrucci's project due to a legal debate over the 'pending ordinance doctrine'. The project faces challenges meeting new setback and lot size requirements, and is also under review by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
J.G. Petrucci Company has submitted plans for a 146,000-square-foot data center on Allentown's East Side, at 1024 N. Bradford St., according to Frank Kane, the city's managing director. This is the second data center proposal in Allentown, following a quarter-million-square-foot facility filed by Quantm Group on Emaus Avenue in May.
Allentown's planning department is currently reviewing the Bradford Street proposal. A key challenge is determining which version of the city's recently adopted data center ordinance applies. The City Council passed legislation in mid-June restricting data centers to two industrial zones, instituting setbacks, and requiring extensive impact studies. Further amendments in August confined data centers to a single industrial zone and increased setback and lot size requirements. City Council solicitor Maria Montero asserts the newer, stricter regulations should apply to J.G. Petrucci's proposal based on the pending ordinance doctrine, which allows municipalities to apply newly introduced regulations before their full approval.
However, a 2022 Commonwealth Court ruling complicates this, stating the pending ordinance doctrine does not apply to land development proposals, casting doubt on the review process. The new regulations significantly increase required setbacks from