Data center proposals face uncertain future after Upper Merion Board of Supervisors vote
The Upper Merion Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County denied extension requests and preliminary land development plans for a proposed 4.6 million square foot data center complex. This decision, viewed as a major victory by residents opposing the project, follows a legal battle where developer Brian O'Neill sued the township and had an injunction ultimately vacated. O'Neill plans to appeal the board's denial.
The Upper Merion Board of Supervisors has denied extension requests and six preliminary land development plans for a controversial data center complex proposed in King of Prussia, Montgomery County. The proposed project, from developer Brian O'Neill, envisions a 4.6 million square foot data center campus.
The board's decision was met with cheers from residents who have actively opposed the development. Supervisors cited incomplete plans and the developer's repeated failures to address review comments dating back to March as reasons for the denials. Brian O'Neill, the developer, has stated his intention to appeal these decisions.
This vote follows a prior legal challenge where O'Neill sued the township, securing an injunction that was subsequently vacated a day later in the township's favor. The court had previously affirmed the township's review process as fair and legal. While the current denials do not completely kill the project, they force the township to move forward based on the applications as they were originally submitted, pending O'Neill's appeal. The township also passed a stricter data center ordinance earlier this year, under which any resubmitted plans would likely be considered.