Plymouth Township data center fight turns on 43 local demands

Developer Brian O’Neill is pushing to build a 2 million-square-foot Plymouth Township data center at a former steel plant outside Philadelphia, with no project cost disclosed. The fight matters beyond one suburb because it shows how local governments are starting to translate data center backlash into detailed zoning conditions on power, water, noise, taxes and labor.

Plymouth Township says O’Neill’s company had indicated it would accept whatever provisions the township proposed. Township officials then produced a 43-item plan running nine pages, and O’Neill’s lawyers are challenging the local zoning ordinance, arguing that the conditions make the project too difficult to build.

Under Pennsylvania law, according to the township’s framing of the dispute, the municipality cannot reject a lawful land use outright. It can, however, apply zoning rules and require measures tied to health and safety. That distinction is now the center of the dispute: whether the township is setting normal development guardrails or using conditions as a practical block on the project.

What is Plymouth Township requiring for the data center?

The township’s list centers on four areas that have become recurring flashpoints in data center permitting: electricity demand, water use, emissions and neighborhood noise. A data center is a large computing facility that can draw substantial power and cooling resources, so local governments often focus on who pays for grid, water and environmental impacts.

Among the proposed requirements, the township wants rooftop machinery screened with sound walls, noise testing before and after construction, controls on low-frequency sound and limits on vibration that could affect nearby homes. It also calls for electronic equipment to be shielded so it does not interfere with broadcast signals at the property line, and for outdoor lighting to meet Dark Sky standards.

On cooling and utilities, the township wants a closed-loop cooling system using non-toxic coolant. Its proposal would bar the project from drawing water from the Schuylkill River or public water systems, except for restrooms and kitchens, and would prohibit discharge into the river. The developer would also have to file annual water-use reports and prepare a discharge plan.

The power provisions are especially restrictive for a modern compute project. The township says the site should be self-sufficient through on-site generation rather than relying on public utilities, should try to use renewable generation with a stated preference for solar, and should use a clean-air microgrid or combined heat and power system to address pollution.

Other conditions cover site design and local economics. Buildings would be capped at two occupiable stories, landscaping would be required where the property borders residential areas, and a pedestrian trail would connect the site to a nearby interstate overpass. The developer would have to recruit local workers, commit to prevailing wage and benefit rates, file a decommissioning plan and post financial security equal to the cost of decommissioning before permits are issued. The township also wants assurances that the developer will pay taxes owed and will not try to lower its township tax burden.

Why is O’Neill challenging the township?

O’Neill told the Philadelphia Inquirer that allegations against him are a “bold-faced lie” and said he had already accepted “the majority” of what township officials requested. He said the township is facing political pressure from residents and others, but argued that officials still must treat his property rights fairly.

Plymouth Township took a harder line in a 12-page statement released Monday night, calling O’Neill’s challenge an attempt to force approval through “tantrum” and saying it would not respond to “theatrics.” Lynne Viscio, president of the township council, told the Inquirer that O’Neill has “bullied” and “intimidated” officials.

Council member Chris Manero, in the township’s statement, acknowledged that data centers can bring technology and fiscal benefits. He still opposed the current application, saying residents’ health and well-being should not be traded away to obtain those benefits.

O’Neill hopes to build six data centers in the broader area. Whether this first fight ends as a negotiated approval or a zoning defeat will signal how much leverage suburban municipalities have as data center developers look for land, power access and political permission near major markets.

This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.