KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of people showed up to a four-hour-long meeting Wednesday night to hear from the developer of a proposed cluster of eight data centers in King of Prussia.
Developer and MLP Ventures founder Brian O’Neill is proposing to build two-story data centers at five different locations in the area. He claims the centers would use closed-loop water systems and give power back to the grid.
Tensions ran high for much of the night. Antsy residents frequently shouted out of turn and derailed the meeting.
O’Neill, whose background is largely in health care and life sciences real estate, attempted to assuage concerns about environmental impact, energy bills, jobs, public health and water usage. He was heckled frequently.
“There is an extreme worry about water use. We don’t use water; we have closed-loop systems,” he said to boos from the crowd.
The Upper Merion Township Planning Commission questioned O’Neill for well over an hour about meeting noise, light and zoning compliance.
Paula Terrell believes development is moving faster than legislation.
“We need a moratorium,” she said. “We need a curative amendment that can put a pause on all these data centers to allow each municipality to develop their own planning and zoning.”
Courtney Smith said there will be far-reaching consequences.
“Negative impacts can span up to six miles from where they sit: pollution, the air quality, low-vibration noise,” she said.
The commission is still reviewing O’Neill’s application.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced a plan to attract data center developers, so long as they act “responsibly.” Shapiro is looking to give tax incentives to developers who operate transparently, invest in communities, minimize environmental impact, and protect ratepayers from energy bill increases.
Also on Wednesday, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced a plan to place guardrails on data centers in the Garden State.
Attendees heckled the developer and derailed much of the meeting
Attendees heckled the developer and derailed much of the meeting
