ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2014 The debate over data centers in the city is set to rage on after City Council voted Wednesday night to take two weeks to figure out their legal options.<\/p>\n
Data centers dominated discussion for more than three hours as council held a public hearing on proposed regulations before voting hours later to table them.<\/p>\n
Without adopting data center regulations soon, the city could leave itself open to more proposals like the one at 2401 W. Emaus Ave.<\/p>\n
Allentown Planning and Zoning Director Jennifer Gomez<\/p>\n
The regulations are meant \u201cto protect the city\u201d by establishing stricter standards and requiring an extra layer of public review for data center projects within city limits, Planning and Zoning Director Jennifer Gomez told council and a crowd of residents that spilled into the hallway outside the room.<\/p>\n
Bill 20 is \u201cthe starting point\u201d for regulating data centers, Gomez said. She urged council to pass the legislation, then work to refine and strengthen its provisions.<\/p>\n
Without adopting data center regulations soon, the city could leave itself open to more proposals like the one at 2401 W. Emaus Ave., Gomez said.<\/p>\n
That proposal is being reviewed under the city\u2019s current zoning code, which does not define data centers or regulate their use, because the application was submitted before council officially advertised\u00a0its intent to consider regulatory changes. <\/p>\n
‘One of the worst I’ve seen’<\/p>\n
Thirty people spoke Wednesday night. Most implored council to table or reject Bill 20 and use a legal tool known as a municipal curative amendment to pause new proposals for six months.<\/p>\n
Allentown officials could declare the city\u2019s zoning code to be invalid because it doesn’t address data centers and use the amendment to pass a \u201creally good ordinance,\u201d Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, a senior organizer for Food & Water Watch, told council.<\/p>\n
Allentown\u2019s data center ordinance \u201cis, unfortunately, one of the worst ones I\u2019ve seen. People have grave concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, a senior organizer for Food & Water Watch<\/p>\n
Passing a municipal curative amendment would give officials a 180-day window to develop and enact legislation that regulates data centers to address the code\u2019s deficiencies.<\/p>\n
But differing opinions from council\u2019s and the city\u2019s solicitors compelled the board to table Bill 20 until its June 17 meeting.<\/p>\n
During that time, Montero is tasked with completing a legal service review to determine council\u2019s options with Bill 20 and\/or a municipal curative amendment.<\/p>\n
Marcille-Kerslake said she \u201clived and breathed\u201d the data center debate and helped strengthen numerous regulatory ordinances over the past year in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Allentown\u2019s data center ordinance \u201cis, unfortunately, one of the worst ones I\u2019ve seen,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople have grave concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Water, electricity, noise concerns<\/p>\n
Among those concerns are the proposed ordinance\u2019s requirement for data centers to sit at least 200 feet from homes and other \u201csensitive\u201d properties, such as childcare facilities, Marcille-Kerslake said.<\/p>\n
Many speakers voiced fears about higher costs of living because of data centers\u2019 water and electricity consumption.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all want an ordinance” to regulate data centers. “But this just isn\u2019t strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allentown resident Alicia Ruthroth<\/p>\n
Hyperscale data centers \u2014 those that cover more than 50,000 square feet \u2014 can use as much electricity as tens of thousands of homes, according to industry statistics.<\/p>\n
Others raised concerns about sustained vibrations and noise generated by data centers\u2019 cooling systems and backup generators, which can be heard hundreds of feet away, studies show.<\/p>\n
Bill 20 would require developers to perform noise studies and plant trees and other landscape features to buffer that noise.<\/p>\n
Living with the noise from a data center would be similar to living next to a highway during rush hours, resident Alicia Ruthroth said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA data center is 24\/7. It is that level of noise all the time; it never stops,\u201d Ruthroth said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all want an ordinance” to regulate data centers, she said. \u201cBut this just isn\u2019t strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Resident Adam Bond urged city officials to find a way to evaluate the \u201ccumulative effect\u201d of data center proposals rather than reviewing each proposal individually.<\/p>\n
‘A brick on our head’<\/p>\n
The public hearing was meant to elicit feedback from residents about Bill 20, its provisions and its shortfalls. But many speakers highlighted their concerns with a looming proposal in South Allentown.<\/p>\n
Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday is scheduled to review plans for a quarter-million-square-foot data center.<\/p>\n
William Gorecki criticized officials for the timing of the two meetings related to data centers. They should take more time to figure out the regulations before reviewing any proposal, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of feels like [Bill 20] is: \u2018Let\u2019s see how we regulate people who want to put a brick on our head,\u2019\u201d Gorecki said. \u201cAnd then [on] Tuesday, we\u2019re talking about if we should put a brick on our head.\u201d<\/p>\n
A short description of the project indicates Zach Jordan, a project engineer at Langan Engineering, is seeking permission to convert a recently built 224,000-square-foot warehouse at 2401 W. Emaus Ave. into a data center.<\/p>\n