Plymouth Township officials and developer dispute over data center project, legal challenge filed
Local officials in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania, and developer Brian O'Neill are engaged in an acrimonious dispute over a proposed 2 million-square-foot AI data center. O'Neill has filed a legal challenge to the township's zoning ordinance after rejecting their proposed data center safeguards, while officials accuse him of bullying. Residents are actively opposing the project due to concerns about noise, pollution, water usage, and electricity costs.
A heated dispute has erupted in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania, concerning a proposed 2 million-square-foot AI data center developed by Brian O'Neill. Plymouth Township Council Chair Lynne Viscio accused O'Neill of "bullying" and "intimidating" officials to gain project approval, especially after he filed a legal challenge to the township's zoning ordinance. Viscio stated this legal action came after O'Neill rejected the township's proposed data center "safeguards."
O'Neill refuted the accusations as a "bold-faced lie" and a "misinformation campaign," claiming he had been negotiating in good faith and agreed to most of the township's conditions. He emphasized his property rights as a landowner and criticized the council for not promoting his plan, given local office vacancies. The developer also has other data center projects in the area, including a 4.6 million-square-foot campus proposed in nearby Upper Merion Township, where the Planning Commission recently voted not to recommend approval for some of his plans.
Residents in both Plymouth and Upper Merion Townships are actively opposing the data center proposals, citing concerns over light, noise, and air pollution, as well as water usage and electricity costs. O'Neill has tried to alleviate these fears by stating his Plymouth Township data center would be quiet, light-pollution-free, use a closed-loop water system, and generate its own power. A substantive zoning hearing for the Plymouth project is scheduled for August 6, while the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on those projects after further hearings.