The Lehigh Valley’s latest data center proposal consists of six buildings totaling more than 5 million square feet on 410 acres of land in South Whitehall Township.

It will be at the top of the agenda for Tuesday’s Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Comprehensive Planning Committee’s virtual meeting, which starts at noon. If the committee accepts the draft letter to South Whitehall, it will be considered at Thursday’s full LVPC meeting.

The land sits at 2493 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., across the street from Parkland High School. The tract is bordered by Mauch Chunk Road and Orefield Road. It’s in South Whitehall’s planned innovation, research and technology overlay district, which LVPC notes was created to “provide a controlled and protected environment for the orderly growth and development of research and technology-related businesses.”

Furthermore, “the township has intentionally directed this type of development to the PIRT District and updated its zoning regulations in anticipation of interest in data center development, demonstrating proactive planning and regulatory alignment.”

Lehigh County property records show that the tract is owned by Jeras Corp., a South Whitehall real estate company. It acquired the land in 1975.

It’s the second large data center proposal the LVPC is tackling in two months. In December, it looked at a plan to build a complex of three data centers, covering 2.6 million square feet, at the site of Air Products’ former headquarters in Upper Macungie Township.

For the South Whitehall project, the LVPC said it coordinated with additional review agencies to discuss utility capacity and infrastructure considerations.

Some concerns were similar to those brought up with the Upper Macungie project, including the effects that noise from cooling equipment, air quality from the exhaust, and nighttime lighting would have on the surrounding neighborhood. There was also a mention of potential sinkholes.

The letter noted that the project’s electrical demand and impacts on the power grid are being coordinated between the applicant and PPL. That includes a proposed electrical substation that would distribute power to each building. The plan calls for an air-cooled system, which requires less water usage.

Also on the agenda are proposed data center ordinances for Upper Saucon and North Whitehall townships.

Data centers are coming, hungry for space and resources. Is the Lehigh Valley ready?