The proposed ordinance<\/a> would define \u201cdata center\u201d in the city\u2019s zoning code and allow the use as a special exception in the Industrial (IN) zoning district, subject to case-by-case review by the zoning hearing board.<\/p>\nCity Director of Planning and Zoning Cathy Fletcher said the city is required to provide for all types of development and that the proposed regulations are intended to establish standards for data centers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to implement items that are as up-to-date as possible in what we know about data centers,\u201d Fletcher said.<\/p>\n
Applicants would be required to submit plans, studies, assessments and mitigation strategies with their zoning permit or land development applications.<\/p>\n
Water capacity<\/p>\n
Water use would be subject to additional requirements. Applicants would have to provide a report identifying the facility\u2019s water source, projected average and peak daily demand, seasonal variations, cooling system type and efficiency, water reuse or recycling measures and assumptions related to drought and extreme heat.<\/p>\n
Applicants also would have to demonstrate that adequate public water capacity exists to support the proposed data center.<\/p>\n
During a discussion of the proposed amendment, Ed Boscola, the city\u2019s director of water and sewer resources, said he did not see a significant sewer-system concern with data centers. Some facilities use chillers in which water ultimately is released into the atmosphere as vapor, resulting in little wastewater, he said.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Hillary Kwiatek asked whether the city should be concerned about reservoir capacity if water used by a data center does not return to the local water table.<\/p>\n
Boscola said Bethlehem\u2019s average water use is about 14 million gallons per day and has not changed significantly over the past 25 years, despite development. Efficiency improvements have helped reduce water consumption, he said.<\/p>\n
Boscola said he did not personally see a negative impact to the water system from a large user of the size being discussed. However, the impact would depend on where a facility were located.<\/p>\n
The ordinance includes similar requirements for wastewater and electricity. Applicants would have to document anticipated wastewater characteristics, discharge volumes and destinations, and demonstrate that adequate wastewater disposal capacity is available.<\/p>\n
Electricity demand<\/p>\n
An energy management plan would have to identify anticipated peak and annual electricity demand, electric load phasing, energy sources, utility upgrades and backup power sources. Applicants also would have to provide a power usage effectiveness analysis measuring energy efficiency.<\/p>\n
Electricity demand was a concern for Councilmember Justin Amann, who asked how the city would verify a developer\u2019s projected power draw and determine whether a data center could cause electric rate increases or affect electricity availability for Bethlehem residents.<\/p>\n
For facilities connecting to the electric grid, applicants would have to provide documentation from the applicable electricity provider confirming that the necessary capacity is available and that the provider will serve the data center. The proposal also requires applicants to identify known impacts on electric rates or availability for other uses that are directly attributable to the project.<\/p>\n
Amann asked how the city would hold developers accountable for those projections.<\/p>\n
Fletcher said the proposal would require third-party reports to be submitted so the city can evaluate the facility and its potential impacts.<\/p>\n
Assistant director in the city’s planning and zoning office,\u00a0Craig Peiffer said the city cannot regulate companies regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. If the utility determines that sufficient capacity exists and that it can provide service to a proposed data center, the city would have to accept that determination, he said.<\/p>\n
Jill Seitz of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission said the required studies would provide the city with information upfront about the actual scale and potential impacts of a facility.<\/p>\n
Knowing a facility\u2019s electricity demands also would give the city an idea of how those demands could change over time, she said.<\/p>\n
Building, land requirements<\/p>\n
Council President Rachel Leon also raised questions about stormwater runoff and how much of the city\u2019s industrially zoned land remains undeveloped.<\/p>\n
Peiffer said Bethlehem is predominantly built out and questioned the likelihood of the city seeing a data center of significant size.<\/p>\n
However, a developer could potentially adaptively reuse an existing building or determine that the value of a project justified demolishing an existing building and constructing a new one, he said.<\/p>\n
The proposal also would establish specific location and site-design requirements.<\/p>\n
Data centers would have to be at least 200 feet from any right-of-way or lot outside the Industrial district. They also would have to be at least 1,000 feet from lots in residential zoning districts and from existing dwellings, schools, child or adult daycare centers, parks, hospitals and community recreation centers.<\/p>\n
Data centers could not exceed 80 feet in height, including rooftop structures, and would have minimum 80-foot front, side and rear yard setbacks. The proposal also calls for a 40-foot buffer yard.<\/p>\n
Equipment yards, generators, substations and utility infrastructure would have to be enclosed by an 8-foot-high secure fence and surrounded by an evergreen screen at least 6 feet high at planting, with an expected mature height of at least 15 feet.<\/p>\n
The ordinance also establishes building coverage requirements based on the size of a facility, with larger buildings requiring additional lot area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a graduated scale,\u201d explained city Zoning Officer David Taylor.<\/p>\n
Under the proposal, buildings smaller than 50,000 square feet could cover up to 50% of a lot. Larger buildings would require additional lot area as building size increases.<\/p>\n
Environmental impacts<\/p>\n
The proposed measure also requires an environmental impact assessment addressing potential impacts to karst features, air and soil quality, surface and groundwater, wildlife and wildlife habitat, and stormwater. The assessment also would consider adverse conditions such as drought, extended power outages and extreme heat.<\/p>\n
In addition, the text amendment addresses the disposal of electronic waste and the eventual decommissioning of a facility. Applicants would have to provide a plan for the removal or disposal of servers, batteries, hazardous materials, electronic waste, cooling equipment and related infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Emergency response plan<\/p>\n
The proposed ordinance also includes an emergency response plan addressing fire suppression, containment, ventilation, evacuation, site access, hydrant locations, water flow, high-voltage equipment and hazardous materials, as well as any necessary first-responder training.<\/p>\n
Noise concerns<\/p>\n
Noise also would be regulated. Data centers would have to meet maximum noise levels of 60 dBA during the daytime, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 55 dBA at night, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.<\/p>\n
Fletcher said those levels are similar to the sound produced by a refrigerator or window air conditioner, and would be measured at the proposed center\u2019s lot line.<\/p>\n
Applicants also would be required to conduct a preconstruction sound study evaluating equipment including air handlers, chillers, cooling towers, transformers, substations and generators. A post-construction sound study would be required between one and 12 months after the first certificate of occupancy.<\/p>\n
Amann discussed public sentiment surrounding data centers and said the city should address those concerns openly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking sure we are open about that and candid about those concerns upfront is a really critical piece of this process,\u201d Amann said.<\/p>\n
Public comment<\/p>\n
During public comment, resident Bill Sheirer questioned whether Bethlehem has room for data center development.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have no room for data centers,\u201d Sheirer said, arguing that vacant land should instead be developed for affordable housing.<\/p>\n
Sheirer also questioned whether requiring a special exception would provide sufficient protection for neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Next steps<\/p>\n
Next steps for the text amendment include review by the city\u2019s planning commission and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, followed by a public hearing at a City Council meeting and a council vote.<\/p>\n
The committee voted to refer the text amendment to council for consideration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2013 Bethlehem city officials are proposing new zoning regulations for data centers. During a Community Development…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,164,629,111409,30427,111405,39804,2116,34526,111408,166,111406,111407,2022,22638,171,1087],"class_list":["post-263713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-bethlehem-city-council","tag-bethlehem-planning-commission","tag-bill-sheirer","tag-cathy-fletcher","tag-community-development-committee","tag-craig-peiffer","tag-data-centers","tag-david-taylor","tag-director-of-planning-and-zoning-cathy-fletcher","tag-hillary-kwiatek","tag-jill-sites","tag-justin-amon","tag-lehigh-valley-planning-commission","tag-planning-commission","tag-rachel-leon","tag-zoning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}