Lehigh Valley data centers: Where they’re proposed, and where those plans stand
The Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania is seeing several data center proposals across multiple municipalities in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Projects include conversions of existing warehouses and new builds, with varying statuses from approved amended plans to withdrawn proposals and a denied zoning request, often facing community opposition. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for some of these projects.
The Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania is a hub for multiple data center proposals, ranging from 100,000 to 5 million square feet, across various municipalities in Northampton and Lehigh Counties. These projects are in different stages of development, with several facing community opposition and undergoing planning reviews.
In Allen Township, supervisors approved an amended land development plan to convert a 1-million-square-foot Prologis Lehigh Valley East 16 warehouse into a data center. South Allentown has a proposed 23,342-square-foot data center addition, with its planning commission hearing rescheduled for July 16. Peron Development and J.G. Petrucci Co. withdrew initial plans for a campus near Martins Creek Belvidere Highway, making "meaningful changes" in response to community feedback, including moving the campus closer to the Talen Energy power plant.
South Whitehall Township's planning commission is reviewing "Project Atlas," a 5-million-square-foot development with three data centers on 410 agricultural acres, which has raised concerns among residents and experts; a meeting is set for July 9. In Upper Macungie Township, a 2.6-million-square-foot data center at the former Air Products headquarters was denied by the zoning hearing board in May following strong resident criticism, with an appeal anticipated. Amazon's previous plans for a data center in Upper Mount Bethel Township at the River Pointe Commerce Center did not proceed last year.