Few details are yet available about plans for a proposed data center in south Allentown, the first of its kind in the city, but officials already have plans in motion to address the proliferation of such facilities.<\/p>\n
An amended application for a project at 2401 W. Emmaus Ave. in Allentown is on the June 9 city planning commission agenda.<\/p>\n
The commission in 2022 approved a 224,000-square-foot warehouse on the site, and developers broke ground on construction in 2024, according to a Lehigh Valley Live<\/a> report.<\/p>\n However, developers have applied for a 23,342-square-foot addition to the building in order to convert it into a data center, according to the June meeting agenda.<\/p>\n The site is right across the street from several houses, and next to a strip mall with some small businesses.<\/p>\n No other details about the project are available on the city website. City Planning Director Jennifer Gomez was not available to provide additional details about the project. She told The Morning Call that the city\u2019s review of the plans is still ongoing.<\/p>\n Langan Engineering, which is listed as the project applicant on the agenda, also did not return a message requesting additional information about its plans.<\/p>\n The rapid growth in the artificial intelligence industry has led to higher demand for data centers, which house computer systems that support AI, cloud storage systems and other telecommunications. This in turn has led to a broad movement against the construction of data centers near neighborhoods across the country,\u00a0including in the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n Data center opponents argue the facilities cause excessive noise, drive up energy prices and pollute local waterways, and therefore do not belong near neighborhoods. Locally, anti-data center advocates have organized against proposed facilities in Upper Macungie<\/a> and Upper Mount Bethel<\/a> townships.<\/p>\n