Bethlehem PA data center zoning amendment (first reading)

Amends Part 13 (Zoning Ordinance) of the Bethlehem Codified Ordinances: adds a "Data Center" definition (new Art. 1302.35); permits data centers only as a Special Exception in the Industrial (IN) district (Zoning Hearing Board review); requires all plans, studies and mitigation strategies at application; 200-ft setback from any right-of-way or lot outside IN; 1,000-ft setback from any residential-district lot or lot with a sensitive receptor (dwelling, school, child/adult day care, park, hospital, community recreation center); max height, yards, buffer yards and building coverage limits scaled to building size; environmental assessment, water/sewer approvals, energy plan, emergency plan, decommissioning plan, heat and noise studies (post-occupancy noise study). Per Lehigh Daily, the pending Industrial Drive data center application predates the amendment and would not be subject to it.