Allentown Denies Developer Extension on Warehouse Plan
The planning commission voted 3-1 to reject a one-year extension for a 146,000-square-foot flex warehouse site on North Bradford Street.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Data Centers
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The Allentown Planning Commission voted 3-1 to deny a one-year extension requested by a local developer for a 146,000-square-foot flex warehouse at 1024 N. Bradford St. The developer had submitted plans in August to build a similar-sized data center on the same vacant site.
Why it matters
The decision reflects the city's tightening oversight of data center proposals in the Lehigh Valley, where such projects have drawn scrutiny. It also raises questions about whether approved warehouse plans can be repurposed for data center use without new review.
The planning commission voted 3-1 to deny the one-year extension, and Commissioner Craig Beavers abstained. The city's August ordinance update raised the minimum setback from sensitive uses for data centers from 200 feet to 500 feet, and the appeal and court outcomes are still unresolved.
The players
Allentown Planning Commission
The city body that reviews land-use and development requests, including extensions and zoning matters within Allentown.
Craig Beavers
A member of the Allentown Planning Commission who abstained from the vote on the warehouse extension request.
Lehigh County Court
The county trial court where a complaint was filed against the city seeking to force approval of data center zoning permits.
The details
Petrucci received approval to build a warehouse on the 1024 N. Bradford St. property in 2022, and the site remains vacant. The commission questioned the request because the plans appeared to shift from a warehouse to a data center, and the city denied the data center zoning applications on Sept. 3 because data centers are not a permitted use under the general industrial zoning district.
Timeline
2022: Warehouse approval granted for the property at 1024 N. Bradford St.
Aug. 5: City Council approved stricter data center requirements.
Sept. 3: City denied data center zoning applications.
Dec. 7: Zoning Hearing Board to hear the developer's appeal.
Dec. 8: Lehigh County Court to hear the complaint against the city.
Regulatory Context
Allentown's August ordinance update, which raised the data center setback from sensitive uses from 200 feet to 500 feet, now governs how the city treats data center applications like this one. The denial of zoning applications on Sept. 3 shows that stricter local rules are being applied to pending projects in the Lehigh Valley.
Residents near North Bradford Street will see whether the vacant site becomes a warehouse, a data center, or stays idle, depending on the appeal and court outcomes. Anyone following local land use in Allentown should watch the December hearings, since they will determine whether the city's stricter data center rules hold.
The takeaway
The December hearings will show whether Allentown's stricter data center setback rules can withstand the developer's appeal and the court challenge. Residents who want to follow the outcome should track both proceedings.
What happens next
The Zoning Hearing Board will hear the developer's appeal on Dec. 7, and the Lehigh County Court will hear the complaint against the city on Dec. 8.
Further reading
For more on how local rules are shaping these projects, see our Data Centers coverage.
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