Data center proposal near Executive Education Academy Charter school reviewed by zoning board | Allentown Area

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The land sits near American Parkway and the Executive Education Academy Charter School.

The developer is J.G. Petrucci. It’s one of the smaller data centers being proposed in the Lehigh Valley, with just one building.

The application was submitted last week.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk says the plan is being reviewed by the Zoning Board.

“I haven’t seen the proposed plans or use so I don’t know how big of a building they are talking about. Our zoning dictates how big of a building you can build on a particular sized parcel with setbacks, so they might not be able to build something big on a site like that,” said Mayor Tuerk. 

The Mayor says the proposal will be evaluated against existing law to determine if the use is acceptable.

City Council passed “Bill 20” a couple of months ago, which puts restrictions on Data Center Development.

Bill 20 was amended with Bill 52 on Aug. 5, approving stricter zoning regulations and safeguards.

“If a proposed use for a site can’t answer basic questions about water, we should say, hold on. If a proposed use can’t clearly answer the impact that it’s going to have on the neighborhood, or the environment, we need to say hold on,” Tuerk said. 

He says most cities are interested in development, because it adds to tax rolls and municipal services.

“The trade-off is always, what are the potential benefits, and how can we understand the potential benefits vs. the potential costs. And there’s a lot of uncertainty about the costs, a little bit of uncertainty about the benefits,” he said.