Contested

Allentown Flex Center Data Center (J.G. Petrucci, 1024 N. Bradford Street, beside Coca-Cola Park)

City of Allentown, Lehigh County

A planned 146,000 square foot data center with its own substation at 1024 N. Bradford Street on Allentown's East Side, filed in August 2026 and waiting on the city to decide which data center rules apply.

ContestedLargeTBD/UndisclosedGreenfieldLV

At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusApplication Filed

Capacity100 MW

Building area146,000 sq ft

First announced2026-08-19

Target online2027

J.G. Petrucci files plans for a 100 megawatt data center beside Coca-Cola Park in Allentown

The number that mattersThe application arrived hours before City Council voted on stricter rules, and Lehigh Valley Public Media reported that under the new 500-foot setback building the facility on this site would be virtually impossible.

Developer: J.G. Petrucci Company, Inc., a privately held developer based in Asbury, New Jersey
Tenant: No tenant named. DatacenterDynamics reported the company is in talks with a possible end user.
Current stage: The plans reached the city hours before City Council passed tighter data center rules on August 5, 2026. The planning department is working out which version of the ordinance applies, and the council's solicitor says the newer rules should, though case law on the pending ordinance doctrine leaves that unsettled. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is set to review the project for its regional significance. We found no posted meeting or hearing date.
Decision body: City of Allentown planning department and city land use boards (the developer may need zoning approval to consolidate three parcels); Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (regional review, advisory)
Top issues: Which version of the city's data center ordinance applies; the 500-foot setback and the charter school across Bradford Street; consolidating three parcels; power for a 100 megawatt load and an on-site substation; an unnamed end user.
Key opponents: None named in coverage so far.
Key supporters: None named in coverage so far.

How we got here

2022: J.G. Petrucci gets approval for the 146,000 square foot Allentown Flex Center industrial building on the site (DatacenterDynamics). June 2026: City Council approves Bill 20, its first data center ordinance. June 24, 2026: the city advertises its intent to change those rules. August 5, 2026: J.G. Petrucci's data center application arrives hours before council unanimously passes Bill 52. August 19, 2026: Lehigh Valley Public Media reports the filing, confirmed by Managing Director Frank Kane. August 20, 2026: DatacenterDynamics reports a 100 megawatt plan with an on-site substation.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

2026-06-24The city advertised its intent to change its new data center rules, the date the council solicitor points to under the pending ordinance doctrine. Lehigh Valley Public Media
2026-08-05J.G. Petrucci's data center application for 1024 N. Bradford Street reached the city hours before that night's City Council meeting. Lehigh Valley Public Media
2026-08-05City Council unanimously approved Bill 52, tightening the city's data center rules. Lehigh Valley Public Media
2026-08-19The city's managing director confirmed the filing, and Lehigh Valley Public Media reported the plan. Lehigh Valley Public Media
2026-08-20DatacenterDynamics reported the plan as a 100 megawatt data center with an on-site substation, with construction possibly starting in early 2027. DatacenterDynamics

News

Coverage of this project

2026-08-20 DatacenterDynamics100MW data center proposed in Allentown, PennsylvaniaTrade report giving the 100 megawatt size, the on-site substation and a possible 2027 start.
2026-08-19 Lehigh Valley Public MediaDeveloper looking to build data center in Coca-Cola Park's shadowThe filing came hours before council's August 5 vote on tighter rules, and which rules apply is still being worked out.

Sources

Developer looking to build data center in Coca-Cola Park's shadow Lehigh Valley Public Media · 2026-08-19
100MW data center proposed in Allentown, Pennsylvania DatacenterDynamics · 2026-08-20

Know your rights

In 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 →

Take action

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.

How communities push back →