Guest column: Limerick community must rally against data center plan

The pottsmerc.com guest column details intense community opposition to a proposed hyperscale data center campus in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This project, described as potentially one of the largest in the county, would span 1.4 million square feet across eight buildings. Critics highlight its projected daily use of 1.5 million gallons of water and 750 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 500,000 homes, alongside concerns about constant noise, light pollution, impacts on local wildlife, loss of green space, potential grid instability, rising energy costs, and air pollution from 288 on-site diesel generators. The proposed location is near Lightcap and Evergreen Roads, adjacent to The Philadelphia Outlets and the Limerick Nuclear Generating Station. The article also mentions two other nearby data center proposals, including one at the Pennhurst site in East Vincent Township and another on former State Games Land Number 234. The latter involves a land swap approved by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, granting Connecticut-based developer Limerick Town Center, LLC, 55 acres of Heavy Industrial zoned land at the Linfield Industrial Park, intended for an AI data center. Residents are particularly concerned about the project's impact on the Schuylkill River, a primary drinking water source for Philadelphia. The author encourages Limerick residents to draw inspiration from successful opposition efforts in North Coventry Township, where a data center proposal was rejected, and in Archbald, PA, where community members influenced local council elections over data center zoning. Residents are urged to attend upcoming meetings: a Limerick Planning Commission meeting on April 9th and a First Conditional Use Hearing by the Limerick Board of Supervisors on April 14th, both held in Royersford. The article advocates for community members to join peaceful gatherings, wear red, and support the grassroots organization "Prevent Limerick Data Center Development" to fund legal representation.