UPPER MERION, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The developer proposing to build AI data centers in Montgomery County sat before the Upper Merion Township Planning Commission Wednesday night, with hundreds of community members in attendance.
The proposal includes a cluster of five data centers in King of Prussia, totaling 4.6 million square feet. Wednesday’s meeting with MLP Ventures founder Brian O’Neill addressed three of them. It was not nearly as rowdy as the last meeting in late May, but hundreds showed up to vociferously rebuke him again.
Meanwhile, O’Neill’s exchanges with the commission were slightly more contentious this time around: He accused the commissioners of being “schooled” on talking points, and he believed too much was being asked of him at this stage in the proposal.
“You are all being schooled by somebody on what to say at these meetings. You’re all saying exactly the same thing,” he said.
He asked the commissioners, “Is there any reason why your comments go well beyond the requirements of land development submissions in Upper Merion Township?” To which a commissioner replied, “This plan goes beyond a lot of the normal things in Upper Merion Township.”
After May’s meeting, the commission asked O’Neill to resubmit his plans with more information. His presentation on Wednesday was hindered when his PowerPoint was not submitted in time to be approved.
Courtney Smith with Upper Merion Against Data Centers believes the proposal still lacks substantive information.
“The power generation that will occur on site; the number of gas turbines that would be there permanently; no number of diesel generators that would be backup; his closed loop system — where that water’s coming from, the chemicals it would contain,” she questioned.
Zachary Davis, also with Upper Merion Against Data Centers, said these AI sites don’t fit in the Suburban-Metropolitan 1 zoning district they’re proposed for.
“[SM-1 is] like your King of Prussia Town Center, where you see restaurants next to businesses, next to apartments. Ask yourself: Can you see a power plant in the middle of the town center? I think the answer is no,” he said.
Residents also voiced concerns about the heat, emissions and noise impacts on neighbors and wildlife.
They will convene again on Aug. 12 to review two more proposals. The final decision is up to the Board of Supervisors, which is set to conduct its vote on O’Neill’s plans the following day. Smith said residents fighting against these proposals are prepared for the process to drag on even longer.
"Until this goes away, we’re not going away,” Smith added. “We’re going to come back and pressure the township to do the right thing for its community.”
KYW has reached out to MLP and is awaiting a response.
Developer accused planning commissioners of being ‘schooled’ on talking points
Developer accused planning commissioners of being ‘schooled’ on talking points
