Data centers in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: 5 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Lehigh County, around Allentown, has one large data center already operating and expanding, Tierpoint's TekPark site in Breinigsville, and several more proposed. The biggest is Project Atlas, Edged's plan for three buildings of about 1.5 million square feet and 725 megawatts on 410 acres at 2493 N. Cedar Crest Boulevard in South Whitehall Township, across from Parkland High School; more than 3,000 people have signed a petition against it. Smaller proposals include J.G. Petrucci's 100-megawatt project and Quantm Group's 80-megawatt project, both in Allentown. Air Products, by contrast, has abandoned its plan for three buildings on its 194-acre former Upper Macungie headquarters: the township zoning hearing board ruled against it in July 2026, and the company let its August 5 appeal deadline pass without appealing, after neighbors like Carol Kuhns raised concerns about water use during a drought and Paul Heintzelman said simply, "We don't want it. I grew up around here."

Municipalities are writing rules first. Upper Macungie's supervisors adopted a zoning amendment in December 2025 restricting data centers to its general industrial and rural technology districts, with standards for setbacks, noise, water, power and emergency planning; the rules apply only to future applications, not the Air Products site. In Allentown, a city council committee recommended Bill 20 in May 2026, which would restrict data centers to the city's most intense industrial zones and require facilities over 50,000 square feet to sit on properties of at least five acres; only 36 parcels in the city qualify, according to its Environmental Advisory Council. "If something is 'strongly encouraged,' it won't be done," said Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach, who wanted water-efficient cooling made mandatory.

State Senator Jarrett Coleman has proposed letting municipalities pause data center projects to review their rules, and ending the state's data center tax breaks. "There's also a false premise that's kind of spreading that oh, these data centers are coming, and there's nothing that can be done to stop them. That's untrue," he said. On power, state regulators approved a PPL rate settlement in June 2026 that raises typical household bills by about $6.48 a month while creating a separate rate class for large loads such as data centers, with ten-year service commitments and, from 2027, $11 million a year toward low-income assistance.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.