Allentown City Council tables proposed bill to regulate data centers
Allentown City Council tabled Bill 20, a proposed ordinance to establish zoning regulations for data centers, after a four-hour public hearing. Residents expressed concerns that the proposed amendment did not go far enough in protecting the community and environment. The Council directed its solicitor to review the legal implications of a municipal curative amendment, which could potentially impose a 180-day moratorium on new data center applications.
Allentown City Council voted to table Bill 20, a proposed ordinance intended to establish zoning regulations for artificial intelligence data centers, following a four-hour public hearing on Wednesday night. The decision came after a standing-room-only crowd, largely composed of concerned residents, argued that the proposed amendment was insufficient in its protections rather than opposing the concept of regulation itself.
The proposed ordinance aimed to permit data centers in General-Industrial and Industrial Manufacturing zones via special exception, setting regulations on aspects such as setback requirements from homes and existing infrastructure. However, residents and environmental advocates, including Ginny Marcille-Kerslake from Food and Water Watch Pennsylvania, criticized the 200-foot setback as "grossly insufficient" compared to thousands of feet recommended by other regional planning commissions. They also highlighted the lack of decommissioning requirements, fearing "stranded assets" for the community.
Amid conflicting legal opinions on the matter, the council directed its solicitor to conduct a review of how a municipal curative amendment would affect new data center applications for the next 180 days. This amendment, if enacted, could declare the city's current zoning code insufficient and impose a temporary pause on new applications. Council President Santo Napoli clarified that the proposed Bill 20 would not apply to an existing data center project by Langan Engineering, which seeks to convert a 224,000-square-foot warehouse at 2401 W. Emaus Ave., as this project is under the Planning Commission's jurisdiction, not the Council's.