During the Aug. 10 meeting, Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners voted on an ordinance to comment on, provide party status and challenge the Project Atlas development in South Whitehall Township and entertained public comment from the residents on a data center ordinance in the works in Whitehall Township.

A data center ordinance for Whitehall Township was up for a first hearing, which means commissioners do not discuss or vote on the ordinance. It has to be publicly advertised for two meetings before they can take a vote on it.

Commissioners are looking to amend the zoning ordinance to include certain standards and criteria for data center uses within the township.

According to the supporting documents, the zoning ordinance added many terms regarding data centers, such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency mining, data center, data center accessory use, hyperscale data center and many more definitions.

The supporting documents highlight three rules and requirements for applicants regarding data centers within the zoning ordinance — “No data center uses shall be located on prime agricultural soils”; “All data center uses shall be designed and/or arranged to avoid detrimental impacts to high value streams, wetlands, floodplains, steep slopes or other environmentally sensitive areas”; and “All data center uses shall be designed and arranged so as to minimize disturbances to natural and unimproved land and shall encourage the preservation of mature trees and woodland areas.”

The ordinance also applies several rules and requirements that developers must meet for a project like this to be approved, involving water requirements, sound studies and more.

The solicitor stated it was very important the board allows public comment regarding the data center ordinance and Project Atlas development at the first hearing.

Upon public comment, many residents spoke about their concerns, fears and anxiety over water usage, environmental impacts and traffic concerns.

Board President Jeffrey Warren allowed public comment for the proposed data center ordinance and the resolution regarding the Project Atlas data center.

“I wish we could ban AI hyperscale data centers everywhere. However, I understand legally that could backfire,” resident Trish Keenan said.

Keenan spoke about the 200-foot setback being provided in the ordinance, which she argued was too low. In the supporting documents, it states, “Data center uses, and any data center equipment or accessory buildings/structures, shall be set back at 200 feet, or the minimum yard setbacks stated herein from the boundary of any residential zoning district or from the lot line property which contains a sensitive receptor.”

She alleged she had heard of studies that animals could hear data center noise from up to 5-6 miles away from the site.

“200 feet seems really insignificant,” Keenan said.

She asked for the ordinance to be passed sooner rather than later, with the understanding the township could amend it again.

“Restrictions are important and imperative, especially with the goal of deterring development,” Keenan said.

Solicitor Jack Gross was not at August’s meeting. However, the solicitor who was present in Gross’ place stated the data center ordinance would have to go to the Whitehall Township Planning Commission and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for review before it can come back to the board and be introduced once more at a future commissioners meeting before board members can take a vote.

“From the solicitor’s standpoint, we should move quickly, and we can adjust if other things impact it,” the solicitor said.

Another resident agreed about the 200-foot setback, alleging they’ve seen state regulations that even went up to 2,500-foot setbacks.

“If we’re going to build a data center in Whitehall, they should meet these exceptionally high standards because we need to protect our neighbors,” a resident from West Catasauqua said. “I know you can’t outright ban them, but if you want to be serious about it, we need to have legislation with teeth.”

Along with the discussion of the data center ordinance, the board of commissioners also voted on a resolution to participate in, comment on, pursue party status in and object to the Project Atlas data center that’s currently being proposed for South Whitehall Township, which passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote.

According to a story from Parkland Press published in July, the development, coined Project Atlas, is calling for a hyperscale data center to be developed and operated near Parkland High School.

“I want to call out all the residents and neighbors who came to talk about our ordinance that we’re proposing. I think it’s important that we get that feedback,” Commissioner Taylor Stakes said.

Stakes thanked the solicitor and his team for drafting this ordinance and started the discussion about the South Whitehall project and how they’ve created zoning requirements and regulations years ago, before this project was introduced. He noted their project meets all their requirements, but that “they have problems on their hands.”

“We have to think strategically about the long term,” Stakes said.

He mentioned this location will be “a traffic issue,” along with their proposed plan.

Stakes noted the developers want to create “a road that will negatively, in my opinion, impact Whitehall Township, from a traffic perspective.”

The developers for Project Atlas are looking to build a new public road between North Cedar Crest Boulevard, Mauch Chunk Road and Mechanicsville Road for the development.

“Mauch Chunk is already a crazy road, and so is Mechanicsville Road, and this development will make traffic on those roads 10 times worse than they already are,” Stakes said.

“I think the South Whitehall data center development is a prime example of developers not being good neighbors. We’ve seen them denigrating residents at a public meeting,” Stakes added.

Commissioner Ken Snyder echoed his agreement the development will negatively affect traffic in Whitehall Township.

“This plan that they’re doing will just defeat everything we’re trying to work on,” Snyder said.

He noted the board is concerned about the new road that’s being proposed for the data center project.

Resident Dwight Adam brought up his concern about heat islands. He said there is a heat island around the proposed data center and alleged this development could make the temperature 6 to 7 degrees warmer, with possible spikes of up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit, in the area up to 6 miles from the development. This would go from South Whitehall all the way to Lehigh Valley International Airport.

He also mentioned it could affect neighboring areas such as Neffs, Fogelsville and south of Allentown.

“We feel at this point that we’re protecting the majority, if not all, citizens of Whitehall Township, and the board has made a decision to spend the money going forward. Through an executive session, we will learn our options on what we can do or can’t do and how much it’s going to cost,” Snyder said.

Snyder reported South Whitehall did traffic studies for the development but left out Mechanicsville and Mauch Chunk roads, two of the highest-traffic roads in Whitehall Township.

“Our position is that you didn’t even study one of the roads that are affecting us. That’s why we’re sitting down and saying that we think you should have done a traffic study on that particular area and other particular things going on,” Snyder said.