Oct. 7, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
A plan to limit data centers brought out a crowd at Bethlehem City Council’s meeting Tuesday.
Council voted 7-0 to advance the plan for limits. It’s not law yet.
Council President Rachel Leon started the public hearing with a caveat: “We cannot prohibit legitimate land uses under state law.” The centers can only be regulated within limits set by Pennsylvania.
She asked residents to contact state lawmakers about data centers.
The city can’t ban the centers nor can it write a bill that has the effect of banning them, such as prohibiting them from being within 10 miles of the Lehigh River. The city can set limits on location and size, on light pollution and noise.
Bethlehem’s zoning change would allow data centers as “special exceptions” in existing industrial zones. That status allows the city to review each proposed center “case by case.”
There was more than an hour of testimony from residents and somebody read a crude poem around the three-hour mark. Perhaps next time there will be a dance recital.
Agree or disagree with City Council, they have to endure a lot.
The 7-0 vote is not final. Passing laws require multiple votes so the law is not on the books yet.
Data centers are big-box buildings that contain computer equipment. They are not new but they’re getting bigger and they can support Artificial Intelligence, a technology some residents oppose.
Some people who are getting rich from the new technology say AI might threaten humanity. Supporters of the centers say some of the resistance is the result of foreign disinformation. Opponents say they’re concerned about the centers’ demand for resources, and the potential for AI to disrupt lives.
Still, the centers are coming. PPL and its partner Blackstone, the federal government and the world’s biggest tech companies back them.
“There are a variety of data center types based on their purpose,” Cathy Fletcher, city director of planning and zoning, said. “Hyperscalers” are the big ones. The demands the centers place on electricity supplies and water vary with size.
Here is a link to Fletcher’s seven-page memo to council with the changes included.
Council member Jo Daniels questioned who would be on the hook if a center closed.
“If in 10 years this data center leaves and we’re left with this building, we’re supposed to take care of it ourselves?” she asked.
Council member Hillary Kwiatek said residents should stop using AI for the frivolous purpose of making images for social media posts. The crowd applauded, perhaps seeing the suggestion as a chance to have some control over how the world is changing.
Former member Grace Crampsie Smith and others said the law should be stronger.
Until the law is official, data-center developers may submit plans that will not be subject to the changes. The center proposed for the former Crowder Service Center at 2184 Industrial Drive (just off Route 22 and Route 378) will not be covered.
The city’s zoning ordinance needs a definition of data centers and to set some limits on them via what is called a “text amendment” to the zoning ordinance. A text amendment does not change a zoning map, it may change what is allowed in certain areas.
