SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa.- The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) is getting its first crack at revised plans for a data center campus near Parkland High School.
On Tuesday, the LVPC’s comprehensive planning committee discussed a draft version of the staff review. It comes about a month after South Whitehall Township’s zoning officer recommended against the project, dubbed Project Atlas, because the plans have “missing and incomplete information, (and a) lack of complete review information to base decisions on.”
The zoning officer’s review identified a slew of shortcomings, points needing clarification, or examples of non-compliance with township code.
In its review, the LVPC, while noting that the applicant has addressed “numerous” comments that were raised during its initial review in January, said several outstanding items still remain that must be addressed.
Developer CDE Acquisitions LLC wants to build three data center buildings, one administration building, and one warehouse building, for a total of 1,556,702 square feet, on 410 acres of land. The site is a combination of three parcels: 2493 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard, 2807 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard, and 2747 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard.
The land is mostly undeveloped agricultural fields with Parkland High School to the west, a chemical manufacturing company to the south, and homes to the north.
The original plan called for six buildings totaling 5,038,100 square feet.
In its latest review, the LVPC said the revised development has the potential to align with FutureLV (the long-term development blueprint for the region) if it “is designed to minimize impacts to sensitive receptors in the vicinity; if the site configuration avoids disturbing existing natural resources on the site; and if utility infrastructure is demonstrated to be adequate to meet the facility’s needs without adversely affecting service to existing users.”
Planners noted several improvements in the latest version of the plans. For example, the developer took the LVPC’s suggestion to incorporate more environmentally friendly Tier 4 backup generators, as opposed to the Tier 2 generators that were in the original plans.
Also, the new plans call for a wider setback between the data center buildings and adjacent property lines to the north, increasing from about 444 feet to 1,000 feet, as well as 16-foot walls and vegetation to help curb noise impacts.
But even with those changes, there remains room for even more improvement, the LVPC said.
“The LVPC also recommends the applicant provide additional documentation demonstrating how any low-frequency inaudible sounds caused by vibration (infrasound) will be mitigated to maximize protections to the public health, safety and welfare,” planners wrote in their review.
The potential impact of those vibrations came up during the discussion about the review, when the conversation turned to the site’s proximity to Parkland High School. “It’s a really serious concern, and I just want us to be as serious about it as possible, because it’s not something to be treated lightly,” said Commissioner Brett Webber. “There are kids at stake, and there are communities that are immediately adjacent. Some of the recent research has indicated that those low-level vibrations are perceptible and affect human health within a mile of a project.”
The committee ultimately added an amendment to the review, recommending that South Whitehall creates monitoring and enforcement mechanisms for pre-established vibration standards.
The LVPC also raised concerns- as it did in its first review- about the karst geography of the site.
In addition, while it applauded the switch to Tier 4 generators, “the cumulative impacts from the immense quantity of generators utilized by the project should be scrutinized,” planners wrote; the zoning officer’s review said the developer wanted to include “hundreds” of diesel-powered generators on the site.
The full LVPC will consider the review during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 25. Members of the public can participate virtually at www.tinyurl.com/LVPC2026.
South Whitehall’s planning commission is scheduled to review the Project Atlas plans during its meeting on July 9.