<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=269ez1_1H2R25u200" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=269ez1_1H2R25u200" width="1920" height="1080" ><figcaption>Architectural plans for a proposed data center at 2184 Industrial Dr., as presented to the Bethlehem Planning Commission on Nov. 12, 2026. Boyle Construction | BDA Architects</figcaption></figure>BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bethlehem Planning Commission granted land development plan approval and three waiver requests involving a proposed data center Thursday night at city hall.The project involves a 65,590-square-foot, two-story, 120-megawatt data center proposed for 2184 Industrial Dr. on a 6.75-acre site in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park I, beside Route 22 and near the Route 378 interchange. This is on the site of the former Crowder Service Center in the city's Planned Industrial zoning district and rests in Bethlehem's Lehigh County portion.The project's proponents include Boyle Construction and TensoriIQ. Paxos Entreprises, a limited liability corporation, acquired the site in 2021.Thursday night's waiver requests involved a proposed driveway entrance with widths of 100 feet and 120 feet along Avenue B and Industrial Drive respectively. These exceed the 35-foot ordinance maximum.The applicant noted the 35-foot driveway entrance would not provide adequate width for larger vehichles to enter and exit the site safely. Driveways exceeding 35 feet have been permitted previously within industrial areas across the city for properties which requires access by larger vehicles, including along Avenue A and Avenue B, just to the site's north.The city's department of public works supported the waiver, provided the driveways are constructed as directed by the engineer's office with American with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps and crosswalks.Another waiver request involved fill slopes on the site. A third involved tree planting requirements that cannot be accommodated on site in exchange for a fee-in-lieu.Dylan Panebianco, vice president of operations at Boyle Construction, told planners significant time and effort had been allocated to the data center's design, which he said was "unique" to data centers in the country. He added the firm had been working on the project for about two years.In a basement below the building, there will be three natural gas generators, and the facility itself will be serviced by a closed-loop cooling system, according to Panebianco. The closed-loop cooling system uses no water. The generators will be U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-compliant, and they will provide 20% of the facility's power. The generators will use about 45 million gallons of water, representatives said.The company will spend about $86 million on power upgrades. It will bring also a new natural gas line to the area, which it will pay for in its entirety. Panebianco said there is no "implied or anticipated" impact to anyone's utility bills because of the data center project.During the applicant's presentation, Panebianco said various noise mitigation provisions will be implemented with this project. These include silencers for the generators, sound blankets for the chillers, and building materials.Given the site is near a highway and an airport and rests in an industrial park, the noise level currently has a daytime maximum of 71 decibels and a nighttime maximum of 72 decibels, Panebianco said. A sound study done for the project indicates the data center will emit no more than 55 decibels.A public comment session included various concerns. Some speakers were residents who lived about 400 feet from the proposed project. Others expressed fears about power consumption, noise and water usage, as well as a generalized anxiety about artificial intelligence. Still others contested studies performed for the project, while others expressed concerns about the heat generated from the project.The data center proposal overall is exempt from the city's new rules. Chairman Robert Melosky said Thursday night the applicant is compliant with many components from the recently amended regulations.</div></body>

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bethlehem Planning Commission granted land development plan approval and three waiver requests involving a proposed data center Thursday night at city hall. The project involves a 65,590-square-foot, two-story, 120-megawatt data center proposed for 2184 Industrial Dr. on a 6.75-acre site in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park...

2-story data center gets green light from Bethlehem Planning Commission

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bethlehem Planning Commission granted land development plan approval and three waiver requests involving a proposed data center Thursd

2-story data center gets green light from Bethlehem Planning Commission

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