Plymouth Twp. Council Opposes Data Center, Cites Threat To Health And Safety

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, PA — The proposed data center at the Cleveland Cliffs steel site is a major threat to the health and safety of the local community, the Plymouth Township council said in a statement declaring their opposition to the project.

The Plymouth Township solicitor will appear before the zoning hearing board to oppose the application during the next public hearing on the project, set for June 25 at 7 p.m. at Colonial Middle School.

"Plymouth Township Council has determined that the application, as currently submitted, does not adequately address a number of significant concerns related to the health, safety, and welfare of Township residents," the council shared in a statement.

It's a significant blow to developer Brian O'Neill's second official effort to build an enormous data center on 900 Conshohocken Road, immediately adjacent to the Schuylkill River and nearby residential communities.

The proposal has garnered thousands of signature in opposition, and a large bipartisan group of residents and has organized against it.

It is the zoning hearing board, not the township council, which must make the final decision on the special exception to the zoning ordinance contained in the data center application. The zoning board is independent of the council, but the word of the council and the solicitor carry significant weight.

The council added that they are not opposed to responsible redevelopment of the site, and said they would be open to reconsidering an improved application for the site in the future.

"Council believes protections are reasonable and necessary for a project of this magnitude," they added. "Unless and until sufficient safeguards are incorporated into an enforceable agreement acceptable to the Township, Council intends to continue its opposition to the application before the Zoning Hearing Board."

Specifically, the council called for "enforceable measures" that protected the public, general infrastructure, natural resources, and emergency responders from the dangers of data centers.

O'Neill, who is also behind the massive data center cluster proposal in nearby Upper Merion, has been in close contact with Gov. Shapiro's administration about loosening rules against data center zoning and even urging the right to appeal be stripped from residents, according to emails obtained in a Right to Know request by the advocacy group Concerned Citizens of Montour County.

Public comment will be heard during the June 25 meeting, and officials and community groups urge local residents to attend.

Colonial Middle School is located on 716 Belvoir Road in Plymouth Meeting.