Allentown Planners Approve 75-Megawatt Data Center Amid Opposition

Allentown’s Planning Commission conditionally approved Quantm Group’s plan to convert a vacant warehouse into a roughly 75-megawatt data center that KEEL Infrastructure is expected to operate, despite months of opposition from nearby residents and community groups. The project includes an electrical substation, sound barriers and an expansion to the existing building; a zoning challenge by nearby nonprofit Camelot for Children was withdrawn shortly before the vote. Approval conditions include limits on power use and emergency-generator operation, air-quality and emissions requirements, noise testing, and a closed-loop cooling system that will not use public water. Residents have raised concerns about noise, pollution and potential effects on electricity costs, while the developer has argued the facility would bring less truck traffic and about $4 million in annual city revenue. The commission chair said the application met the city’s objective development criteria and warned that denying it could expose the city to legal challenges.