In a vote following hours of public comment, Allentown City Council approved a bill regulating where data centers may be developed across the city.
The vote on Bill 20 was 4-2, with Santo Napoli, Cynthia Mota, Jeremy Binder and Cristian Pungo voting in favor. Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos voted against it.
The zoning ordinance allows data centers in two of the city’s three “industrial” zoning districts. Data centers are permitted by “special exception” only, which means that each proposal will receive a public hearing and vote by the city’s zoning hearing board.
Under the ordinance, data centers are not allowed within 75 feet of the right of way of a public street, or 200 feet of any residential, civic or childcare areas. The ordinance also requires robust landscaping around the perimeter, and thorough environmental, noise and waterway studies and reviews from the developer before any approval from the city.
The vote followed an unsuccessful push for a “municipal curative amendment” from Gerlach, which would have rejected the measure and instead given the city’s planning staff a 180-day deadline to come up with a stricter law regulating data centers.
Several members of the public also urged the city to approve the curative amendment proposal, arguing that the ordinance did not go far enough to limit data centers in Allentown.
“I know that everyone in this room is concerned about new data center proposals coming in if [Bill 20] is in place, but that is why we need this curative amendment,” said Alicia Ruthrauff, a downtown Allentown resident. “We are not just concerned about setbacks, noise levels decommissioning, there are other considerations I don’t think Bill 20 takes into account. It doesn’t require the data center to reuse and recycle the massive amount of water they use.”
The vote came as the city faces a proposal to convert a vacant warehouse at 2401 Emmaus Ave. in south Allentown into a data center. The building is next to homes, local businesses and a nonprofit that helps chronically and terminally ill children.
The Allentown Planning Commission has not yet held a vote on that proposal; the developers withdrew their application before a scheduled meeting June 9.
The new ordinance will have no effect on the Emmaus Avenue data center proposal because developers applied before it passed.
Council members who supported the ordinance said they shared the public’s concerns that it does not go far enough to restrict where data centers can go in the city. They vowed to quickly introduce and vote on additional amendments to make the ordinance stronger, including increasing the required setback to 500 feet and adding requirements that further limit how much noise a data center can emit.
However, such a process would be hampered by advertising requirements. Zoning amendments require the city to issue a notice at least 30 days in advance of a public hearing on the amendment, which must happen before a vote.
“I, just in good faith in trying to serve the people of Allentown, I don’t know if I can take that risk on a ‘maybe,’ ” Pungo said of the failed curative amendment proposal. “And I would like to work diligently to work to strengthen Bill 20 after it passes.”
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.