Data center coverage in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania
4 headlines archived for Plymouth Township — no documented moratorium or ban on file here yet. See the moratorium tracker for towns that have taken formal action, or the full story tracker to browse every place we're following.
The project on the table
900 Conshohocken Road data center (former Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill) — Awaiting decision
Owner: Brian O'Neill (developer) · Filing LLC: 900 Conshohocken Road LLC · Acres: 66
900 Conshohocken Road LLC, an entity of developer Brian O'Neill, seeks a special exception from Plymouth Township's zoning hearing board to convert the recently closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill — 10 existing buildings totaling about 2 million sq ft on 66 acres along the Schuylkill River — into a data center. The Aug. 6 hearing nearly filled a 750-seat auditorium; Conshohocken Borough was granted party status while Norristown was denied. The board set a procedural-only session for Aug. 17, with testimony continuing in September; an opposition petition has topped 4,000 signatures.
Next: Heard 2026-08-17; decision pending. Call the board clerk for the vote date and get on the notification list.
Latest in the record
- 2026-08-17 — Hearing continued to Aug. 17 for procedural matters only, with no witness testimony; further testimony to be scheduled. · source
- 2026-08-06 — Zoning hearing board session at Colonial Middle School drew a nearly full 750-seat auditorium; the applicant's engineer began testimony comparing the data center to permitted heavy-industrial uses, and party-status requests from neighboring municipalities and residents were taken up. · source
- 2026-08-06 — At the Zoning Hearing Board session, residents booed and cursed as a witness testified data centers resemble manufacturing; the board rejected several legal motions filed by opponents and indicated it would continue the case in September. · source
- 2026-07-27 — Council Chair Lynne Viscio accused developer Brian O'Neill of bullying, saying the township would not be bullied or intimidated; O'Neill called the accusations a 'bold-faced lie,' and he challenged the validity of the township's zoning ordinance. · source
- 2026-06-25 — The zoning hearing kicked off at Colonial Middle School focused on procedural matters; party status was granted to Plymouth Township, the property owner's representatives, nearby residents, and the Borough of Conshohocken Authority, with no testimony taken. · source
- 2026-06-08 — Plymouth Township Council issued a formal statement setting out its perspective on the proposed 900 Conshohocken Road data center and the zoning proceedings, and noted the public hearing set for June 25 at Colonial Middle School. · source
Full dated timeline on the project tracker.
Source. Read 2026-08-14.
What's been reported
4 stories tracked since 2026-07-28 across 3 outlets. 3× A community is pushing back on a nearby data center. 1× Noise from the facility is drawing resident complaints. Most recent: “Plymouth Township data center plan draws neighbor concerns over noise, emissions” (FOX 29 Philadelphia, 2026-10-16).
- Plymouth Township data center plan draws neighbor concerns over noise, emissions
- Plymouth Township, Conshohocken-area residents shout, boo, as hearing for data center begins
- Board makes no decision as data center plan faces opposition in Plymouth Twp.
- ‘We will not be bullied’: Plymouth Township pushes back against proposed Conshohocken data center
Automated news aggregation, not human-verified — follow each link to the original outlet. Part of the story tracker, 4 headlines archived.
Where the decision gets made
Zoning Hearing Board — Special-exception and variance applications, including developer Brian O'Neill's proposal to convert the former Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill at 900 Conshohocken Road into a 2-million-sq-ft data center. Township Council has separately issued a public statement opposing the project and listed 43 conditions it says the proposal would need to meet.
Meets: Hearings are scheduled individually and announced on the township website; recent sessions have been held at Colonial Middle School, 716 Belvoir Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA.
Where: Colonial Middle School, 716 Belvoir Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
Public comment: Public comment is not taken at procedural/opening hearings; the township announces in advance which session will take resident testimony. Use the Citizen Request option at plymouthtownship.org/citizen-action-line/ for general contact.
Read from the official page on 2026-08-11. Meeting details change — confirm before you go.
What to do next
- Questions to ask at the hearing — force specific answers onto the record.
- Estimate the impact — electricity, water, and rate pressure for any facility size in Pennsylvania.
- Model CBA clauses — copy-paste language communities have actually won.
- Pennsylvania briefing — rates, grid carbon, PUC contacts, and every fight in the state.
Part of the story tracker — automated news aggregation, CC BY 4.0.