City of Allentown, Lehigh County
Quantm Group won amended land development approval on Oct. 13 for an 80-megawatt data center in a vacant South Allentown warehouse after Camelot for Children dropped its zoning appeal.
Allentown planners approved a 224,000 square foot warehouse on the site on June 14, 2022. In October 2025 the city zoning officer determined a data center could be a by-right use there. The data center plan was set for planning commission review on June 9, 2026, but the applicant asked for a postponement after a June 3 City Council hearing on new data center rules drew strong opposition. At a special evening meeting on July 16, planners took no action and Quantm agreed to revise its plans. City Council passed tighter data center amendments in early August that don't apply to this application. Camelot for Children's appeal was set for the Zoning Hearing Board on Aug. 31 but postponed. Planners reviewed revised plans on Sept. 8 without a vote, as Quantm agreed to make closed-loop cooling a deed restriction. On Oct. 13 Camelot withdrew its appeal and planners granted conditional approval.
The plan uses 42 rooftop chillers and backup generators across the street from Camelot for Children and near homes. Quantm promised 35-foot sound walls and compliance with the city's 57 dB daytime and 52 dB nighttime limits, and the approval requires continued noise testing.
WFMZ-TV 69 NewsThe plans call for more than 30 Tier 4 backup generators (32 in the September revision). Approval conditions restrict emergency generator operation and set air quality and emissions requirements, and a resident raised concern about storing tens of thousands of gallons of diesel on site near Trout Creek and Jordan Creek.
WFMZ-TV 69 NewsWFMZ reports an 80 MW draw. A planner noted only the city's waste treatment center draws that much and cited aging infrastructure. Quantm's attorney said PPL indicated the project wouldn't raise rates for other customers, and the approval includes a megawatt usage limit.
WFMZ-TV 69 NewsQuantm agreed to make closed-loop cooling a deed restriction, and an approval condition says the closed-loop system won't use public water.
WFMZ-TV 69 NewsPlans call for 66 employees, fewer than two dozen per shift, on a South Side site the city has designated a major employment hub, and planners raised the limited job count in their first review.
Lehigh Valley Public MediaLeaders: Alex Beauchamp, Northern Regional Director; Deena Stoudt, Lehigh Valley Organizer
Tactics: Press statements; calls for a statewide data center moratorium; urging City Council to reject the project
Called the Oct. 13 vote 'a gut punch to every impacted resident.'
Tactics: Zoning Hearing Board appeal (withdrawn Oct. 13, 2026)
Serves children with disabilities or serious medical conditions and their families. After withdrawing, it said it hopes leaders 'continue to balance economic opportunities with the responsibility to protect the people and organizations that make our community strong.'
Challenged the zoning officer's October 2025 determination that a data center is a by-right use at 2401 W. Emaus Ave. A hearing set for Aug. 31, 2026 was postponed.
Camelot for Children (appellant); Quantm Group LLC (applicant); City of Allentown · Withdrawn before the Oct. 13, 2026 planning commission meetingIn Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.
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