King of Prussia data center fight paused by developer’s lawsuit

Upper Merion Township was set to vote on Brian O'Neill's proposal for a 5-million-square-foot data center campus, but a lawsuit filed by the developer has paused the decision. The developer, Brian O'Neill, sued the township, its board of supervisors, and planning commission, claiming they violated his legal right to an extension and treated him unfairly during the review process. A judge ordered township officials to halt proceedings and not make any decisions about the data center plans until after a court hearing scheduled for next week. Before the lawsuit, the Upper Merion Township Planning Commission had been scheduled to discuss and make recommendations to the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors on two of O'Neill's five data center plans on Wednesday. The township supervisors had been set to vote on whether to approve the five data center plans on Thursday. O'Neill's team declined to discuss the projects with the planning commission on Wednesday, citing the lawsuit. With Campbell's exit, the township planning commission opened the floor to dozens of local residents, all but one of whom was opposed to the projects. They expressed concerns about light, noise, and sound pollution; water use; the impact on the power grid and electricity prices; mental and physical health impacts; and overall quality of life in the suburb. Some said they were angry with O'Neill and his team, with a few citing a recent 6ABC interview in which O'Neill said the Upper Merion centers would result in more than 10,000 jobs during its construction and then generate more than $55 million a year in local tax revenue. O'Neill has said his Upper Merion data centers would

(Source：Headtopics)