From rural Northampton County to downtown Allentown, multiple Lehigh Valley municipalities are entertaining proposals for data centers, ranging from 100,000 to 5 million square feet.
Here’s a look at where those proposals are located, and where they are in the development process. Be sure to check back for new plans and updates on plans.
Allen Township
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission in April reviewed plans to turn a warehouse at 2500 Liberty Drive in Allen Township into a data center. An amended land development plan was approved by township supervisors in March.
Plans call for converting the 1-million-square-foot Prologis Lehigh Valley East 16 warehouse, which was built in 2023.
Allentown
Few details have been released for a proposed data center in south Allentown, the first of its kind in the city. An amended application for a project at 2401 W. Emmaus Ave. originally was on the June 9 city planning commission agenda, but the hearing was postponed. It has been rescheduled for 5:30 p.m. July 16 in City Council chambers.
The commission in 2022 approved a 224,000-square-foot warehouse on the site; developers now have applied for a 23,342-square-foot addition to house a data center.
A data center is proposed in south Allentown. Here is what we know about the plan
Lower Mount Bethel Township
Peron Development and J.G. Petrucci Co. this year announced they were working on plans for a “responsible” data center campus near Martins Creek Belvidere Highway and Gravel Hill Road. Initial plans submitted to the township were withdrawn, and no new plans had been submitted as of early July.
A spokesperson for the development group recently told The Morning Call that “meaningful changes” were being made to the plans in response to community feedback. Those changes include moving the campus south of Martins Creek Belvidere Highway to be closer to the Talen Energy power plant.
South Whitehall Township
A 5-million-square-foot development is proposed on 410 acres of agricultural land at 2493 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., across from Parkland High School. Dubbed Project Atlas, it would include five buildings, three of them housing data centers, according to the most recent plans.
The plans have draw concern from both residents and township experts.
The project is before the township planning commission; a meeting scheduled for June was canceled and is now scheduled for July 9.
Docs reveal South Whitehall experts’ concerns over data center proposed near school
Upper Macungie Township
Late last year, developers proposed a 2.6-million-square-foot data center at the former Air Products headquarters at 7201 Hamilton Blvd. Previous plans called for warehouses on the site.
The data center drew harsh criticism from residents, and in May, Upper Macungie’s zoning hearing board denied a request to move the project forward. An appeal is expected.
Upper Macungie data center rejected; Air Products’ zoning application denied before packed crowd
Upper Mount Bethel Township
There are no active plans for a data center in Upper Mount Bethel Township, but last year Amazon reportedly was in negotiations to build one at the River Pointe Commerce Center. Ultimately, those plans did not go forward. Some township residents have expressed concerns about the Lower Mount Bethel proposal.