Allentown is holding its first official review of a proposed data center this week.<\/p>\n
The city planning commission is holding a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in City Council chambers to review plans for a data center at 2401 W. Emmaus Ave. in south Allentown.<\/a><\/p>\n The data center plans were originally set to be reviewed June 9 at a regular planning commission meeting, but developers withdrew their application after an outpouring of community pushback.<\/p>\n City planners scheduled the Thursday meeting in order to accommodate what is expected to be a packed room of local residents mostly in opposition to the plans. Planners could approve, reject or table the plans.<\/p>\n The planning commission in 2022 approved a 224,000-square-foot warehouse on the Emmaus Avenue site, and developers broke ground on construction in 2024.<\/p>\n However, the developers \u2014 listed as Quantm Group LLC on the meeting\u2019s agenda \u2014 have applied for a 23,342-square-foot addition to the building in order to convert it into a data center.<\/p>\n Although little else is known about the plans, residents are already voicing opposition; an online petition to oppose its construction had garnered more than 4,300 signatures on change.org.<\/a><\/p>\n The proposed data center is next to homes, local businesses and Camelot, a nonprofit that helps chronically and terminally ill children.<\/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.<\/p>\n Lehigh Valley Stands Up, a local activist organization, has issued a \u201ccall to action\u201d on its social media<\/a>, urging people to show up Thursday to oppose the data center.<\/p>\n Residents have also voiced their opposition to the proposal at Allentown City Council meetings,<\/a> though the council is not responsible for approving such development plans.<\/p>\n