ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2013 City lawmakers this week delivered on their pledge to further limit potential data center development in the city amid ongoing public scrutiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Council in mid-June approved legislation that limited data centers to the city\u2019s two industrial zones and established minimum lot sizes for large projects. <\/p>\n
Fewer than 50 properties in Allentown met that criteria, officials said, calling Bill 20 the “starting point” for data center regulations. <\/p>\n
Members reined that number in further on Wednesday night as they unanimously adopted Bill 52.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With its passage, data centers can only operate on properties zoned for industrial manufacturing, and facilities that cover 50,000 square feet would need to sit on at least 8 acres of land.<\/p>\n
Under the new ordinance, any data center must be at least 500 feet away from \u201csensitive receptors,\u201d which includes homes, schools and child care facilities. That eliminates many of the properties that sit in the city\u2019s industrial-manufacturing zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bill 52 also established standards for how data center companies must decommission facilities when ending operations and bolstered requirements for public notice on data center proposals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s unclear how those rules will affect a new proposal filed Wednesday with Allentown planning officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Planning director Jennifer Gomez did not provide details about the new proposal at Wednesday night\u2019s meeting and directed questions to Mayor Matt Tuerk\u2019s administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Frank Kane, Allentown\u2019s managing director, said city officials are now reviewing that application to see if it meets the new standards.<\/p>\n
New regulations were in place since June 24 \u2013 when the city advertised its intent to change its regulations on data centers \u2013 under the pending ordinance doctrine, according to Maria Montero, council\u2019s solicitor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Napoli called the legislation \u201canother step in refining the city\u2019s regulations\u201d on data centers, with further updates in the pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Allentown\u2019s data center requirement for 500-foot setbacks is as strict as it can be while remaining a \u201clegally defensible ordinance,\u201d Gomez said.\u00a0Municipalities in Pennsylvania cannot ban legitimate uses from operating within their borders, according to state law. <\/p>\n