Community and Economic Development Committee, June 24, 2026
Recommends approval: Bill 52 - Data Center Zoning Amendments, unanimous
What happened
On June 24, 2026, the Community and Economic Development Committee recommended approval of Bill 52 - Data Center Zoning Amendments (unanimous).
The Community and Economic Development Committee advanced four bills to future full council meetings, all by voice vote. The most significant land-use item was Bill 52, amending Allentown's data center zoning ordinance (following last week's Bill 20), which moves the setback from…
- Jurisdiction
- Allentown, PA
- Governing body
- Advisory (makes a recommendation)
- Date
- June 24, 2026
- Decisions
- 6 zoning decisions
- Outcome
- Recommends approval, unanimous
- Next step
- Final board vote (pending)
Projects in this meeting (1)
A project bundles every related decision, across hearingsData Center Zoning
RecommendedFree sample: decision 1 of 6
Bill 52 - Data Center Zoning Amendments
Amends the data center zoning ordinance passed as Bill 20 last week. Key changes: setback from sensitive receptors increased from 200 feet to 500 feet; IG (general/light industrial) zoning district removed as a special exception use, leaving only IM (industrial manufacturing/heavy industrial); adds decommissioning standards with a bond or letter of credit financial guarantee; adds a certificate-of-occupancy stage noise checkpoint; requires third-party independent verification of studies; adds public meeting/neighborhood meeting and project website notice requirements. 8-acre minimum for IG referenced. Data centers remain a special exception use decided by the Zoning Hearing Board. Forwarded to a future full council meeting by voice vote.
- 500-foot setback from sensitive receptors
- IM zoning district only (IG removed)
- decommissioning standards with bond or letter of credit
- pre-construction, certificate-of-occupancy, and post-construction (six months) sound studies
- third-party independent verification
- project website and neighborhood meeting public notice requirements
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Key Decisions (6)
Bill 52 - Data Center Zoning Amendments
Bill 50 - Budget Amendment for Health Bureau Position Upgrades
Bill 51 - Budget Amendment Downgrading Grants Compliance Position
Bill 33 - Vacant and At-Risk Property Ordinance
Violence Prevention Plan Presentation
Encampment Policy Draft Discussion
Full write-ups and conditions for all 6 decisions in Pro.
Zoning Changes (1)
Development Activity (1)
2401 Emmaus Avenue data center
Industrial
Market Signals (5)
Commercial Demand
Data center developers are actively watching Allentown's ordinance process and…
Infrastructure
Allentown lacks parcels large enough to accommodate 1,000-1,500 foot setbacks,…
Commercial Demand
Data centers seek sites allowing roughly 70-foot building heights; Allentown's…
2 additional market signals with full detail in Pro.
Who spoke
20 distinct speakers; 3 identified names.
All speaker roles: 8 Public, 4 Councilmember, 2 Chair, 1 Clerk, 5 Staff.
Identified name roles: 3 Staff.
Speaker sample: Jennifer Gomez, Staff.
2 more identified names in Pro: 2 Staff.
Full speaker roster in Pro
Meeting audio
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Audio in Pro
Zoning terms (14)
83 recorded timestamps
- setback (10 timestamps)
- zoning (40 timestamps)
- public hearing (3 timestamps)
- approved (3 timestamps)
- variance (2 timestamps)
- industrial (12 timestamps)
Decision moments (6)
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6 recorded decisions, 6 conditions across 1 decisions. Available full write-ups are included with Pro for Allentown.
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