KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — The Upper Merion Board of Supervisors rejected the massive data center cluster in King of Prussia Thursday night, following months of community outrage and incredulity over the proposal.
All plans submitted by developer Brian O'Neill and MLP Ventures were denied by the board. The proposal included a total of 8 data centers with a combined footprint of more than 4 million square feet, larger than Philadelphia International Airport.
The decision came the day after O'Neill filed a lawsuit in order to obtain an extension on the application. A judge in the Court of Common Pleas rejected that request, allowing the Thursday night meeting to go ahead with its final vote.
Massive crowds gathered Wednesday night at the final planning commission meeting at Upper Merion Middle School to voice their opposition to the project. The lawsuit prevented the vote from going forward, but once again, bipartisan opposition from a broad swath of the community was made apparent.
State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti said it was "deeply frustrating" the proposal had gotten this far.
"Our community is making their voices heard, and our position is clear: we do not want hyperscale data centers in our backyards," State Sen. Amanda Cappelleti said. "Until we have consistent and comprehensive guardrails in place to regulate hyperscale data center development, building massive data centers in Pennsylvania shouldn't even be a conversation."
O'Neill's proposals in Upper Merion and in nearby Plymouth Township, where he is petitioning to build a separate data center, have been condemned by officials as threats to public health and environmental safety. Specifically, opponents hammered in on the around-the-clock noise, strained electric grid, costs to local families, and the mysterious tech giants who would ultimately use the centers.
Both Cappelletti and Muth have characterized O'Neill's tactics as attempts at "bullying." Similarly, the Plymouth Township board of commissioners said that O'Neill was "demanding approval by tantrum."
A spokesperson for MLP has rejected that characterization, and said that they were willing to negotiate with proposed guidelines in good faith.
The defeat of this proposal in Upper Merion does not necessarily mean the battle is over, however. O'Neill's first attempt at building a data center in Plymouth Township was rejected last fall, and he put in a new application this spring. It is not yet clear if a similar tactic will be attempted in Upper Merion.
The Upper Merion proposals included a cluster of four on 2201, 2301, 2501, 2701, and 2901 Renaissance Boulevard, one on 3200 Horizon Drive, and one on 411 Swedeland Road.
About 74 percent of Pennsylvania residents oppose building AI data centers, according to the latest Quinnipiac University polling, while 84 percent show it no support.
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