News · Coverage

The record, in the words of the reporters covering it.

Local, regional, and trade coverage of the 900 Conshohocken Road data-center proposal, newest first. The latest: Right to Know records show the developer asked a federal official for flexibility in the 25-ton air pollution threshold, twelve days before a meeting with the state utility regulator.

What happened on August 6, and what comes next

It also introduces Chris Bertino, who led Conshohocken’s petition to Borough Council and has joined the team, explains where lawn signs can and cannot go in the borough, and asks for help distributing the newsletter and flyers.

Read the update → Our view on the executive order →

All Coverage

Press, opinion, local reporting.

Newest first. Some sources are paywalled, links go to the publisher.

DeSmog Aug 12, 2026
Investigation

Pennsylvania AI Data Center Developer Asked Trump Administration Official to Help Loosen Toxic Emissions Limits

Records obtained by residents through Right to Know requests: a December 26, 2025 email asking whether there is any flexibility in the 25-ton threshold, forwarded to the Public Utility Commission twelve days before a meeting with MLP Ventures.

Chestnut Hill Local Aug 12, 2026
Township

Developer doubles down on data center plans

O'Neill presses ahead in Upper Merion and Plymouth Township as the Board of Supervisors decision on all five King of Prussia applications comes due.

DeSmog Aug 7, 2026
Investigation

How Pennsylvania Governor's Office Helped Push for Huge Data Centers in the Philadelphia Suburbs

The Office of Transformation and Opportunity's work on the Montgomery County projects, the September 2025 fast-track request naming an 800 megawatt plant, and the 4-0 planning commission vote to recommend denial in Upper Merion.

NBC10 Philadelphia Aug 12, 2026
Hearing

First of two meetings on Upper Merion data center plan to be held

The Upper Merion Planning Commission takes up the final two King of Prussia applications, with the Board of Supervisors set to decide all five on August 13.

Spring-Ford Press Aug 2026
Limerick

Latest Limerick data center hearing leaves key questions unanswered

MCD7 filed two more conditional use applications just before Limerick tightened its data center rules, and declined to name the end users. The hearing continues August 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Philadelphia Inquirer Aug 7, 2026
Hearing

Rowdy residents at Plymouth Township zoning meeting draw rebukes as they push back on big data center plan

A two-and-a-half hour, largely procedural hearing. O'Neill on the validity challenge: if the township does not work with him in good faith, he intends to get it by right. The board closed without setting a testimony date.

WHYY Aug 7, 2026
News

Conshohocken residents shout, boo, as hearing for data center begins

The room interrupted the applicant's attorney and witness so often the court reporter struggled to build a record, and the board's solicitor appealed for order.

MoreThanTheCurve Aug 7, 2026
Hearing

Almost full house for Conshohocken data center hearing before Plymouth Township's zoning hearing board

Party status granted to the Borough of Conshohocken, five nearby residents and a Whitemarsh man citing family medical conditions; Norristown refused as too general. Continued to August 17 for scheduling only.

6abc Action News Aug 6, 2026
News

Developer Brian O'Neill defends Montgomery County data center proposals amid growing opposition

The developer's case for the Plymouth Township and King of Prussia campuses, set against the opposition that has followed both.

NBC10 Philadelphia Aug 6, 2026
Hearing

Plymouth Township data center hearing resumes

Ahead of the hearing O'Neill said he had agreed to about 90 percent of the township's demands and blamed opposition on bad information from bad actors.

PHL17 Jul 30, 2026
Hearing

Tensions rise in Plymouth Township as developer challenges zoning in data center fight

Council President Lynne Viscio in a recorded statement: the township will not allow itself to be bullied or intimidated by any developer, full stop.

WHYY Jul 28, 2026
News

Plymouth Township pushes back against proposed Conshohocken data center

Coverage of the council livestream, the validity challenge, the rejected conditions, and the still-undisclosed operator of the facility.

MoreThanTheCurve Jul 28, 2026
Township

Plymouth Council claims developer backed out of agreed-upon conditions on data center at former steel plant

Right to Know requests filed to obtain the validity challenge itself and any communications between the state and the township about the application.

Patch Jul 27, 2026
Township

'Demanding Approval By Tantrum': Plymouth Twp. Council Calls Out Data Center Developer

Council discloses that the developer rejected all forty-three proposed health and safety conditions and filed a challenge to the validity of the township's zoning ordinance. The full condition list is published with the story.

NBC10 Philadelphia Jul 27, 2026
News

Plymouth Township rejects data center after several proposals and 'temper tantrum'

Broadcast coverage of the July 27 council statement, including Council President Lynne Viscio on the applicant's ordinance challenge.

MoreThanTheCurve Jul 22, 2026
Analysis

No response from Plymouth Township's council when asked about the 180-day moratorium option

The five-month stretch between November 17, 2025 and April 19, 2026 when no application was pending and Section 609.2 was available to the township.

MoreThanTheCurve Jul 16, 2026
Borough

Borough of Conshohocken will seek party status for zoning hearing involving proposed data center

Council agrees to seek party status, with the formal vote set for August 5; borough solicitor Michael Peters of Eastburn & Gray will represent Conshohocken before the board.

MoreThanTheCurve Jul 14, 2026
Hearing

Zoning hearing in Plymouth Township for data center to be continued from July 28th to August 6th

The township announces the continuance: the board convenes July 28 only to vote it, and testimony begins Thursday, August 6 at 7 p.m. at Colonial Middle School.

MoreThanTheCurve Jul 13, 2026
Borough

Petition encourages Conshohocken's borough council to seek party status in data center zoning hearing

A resident-launched petition ahead of the July 15 council meeting asks the borough to intervene and oppose the project.

Metro Philadelphia Jun 2026
News

Battle begins over proposed data center in Plymouth Township

Metro's feature on the opening of the zoning fight: the demonstration outside Colonial Middle School, the party-status battle, and the developer's wider multi-site data center push in the region.

MoreThanTheCurve Jun 26, 2026
Hearing

Zoning hearing for proposed data center in Conshohocken kicks off in Plymouth Township

The June 25 recap: no testimony taken, and party status granted to the township, the Borough of Conshohocken Authority, and twelve residents.

PHL17 Jun 24, 2026
News

Neighbors oppose data center proposed in Plymouth Township ahead of zoning meeting

On the eve of the hearing, WPHL talks with neighbors who rallied against the project, citing the cumulative effect of noise and pollution on the river and a community plan that had called for green space and amenities on the site.

Plymouth Township Jun 22, 2026
Township

Livestream available for the June 25, 2026 Zoning Hearing Board meeting

The township confirms the special meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Colonial Middle School and that residents may attend in person or observe the hearing remotely by livestream.

Patch Jun 17, 2026
Hearing

First hearing on Plymouth Twp. data center coming up

A preview of the June 25 hearing, noting that a broad, bipartisan opposition is urging residents to turn out and make their voices heard as the application returns to the Zoning Hearing Board.

MoreThanTheCurve Jun 11, 2026
Analysis

Plymouth Township's council released a statement on the data center. See what questions they chose not to answer

Covers the council's opposition statement, then presses three questions the township left unanswered: why it has not begun a data center ordinance, whether it will act on the county's 42-acre quarry listing on Conshohocken Road, and whether it wanted that sale delayed.

Patch Jun 10, 2026
Township

Plymouth Twp. Council Opposes Data Center, Cites Threat To Health And Safety

Council formally opposes the application as submitted and authorizes the Township Solicitor to argue against it before the Zoning Hearing Board, calling for enforceable safeguards for residents, infrastructure, and emergency responders.

Patch Jun 2026
Hearing

First hearing date set for Plymouth Twp. data center proposal

The township confirms the first Zoning Hearing Board session for June 25 at 7 p.m. at Colonial Middle School, a larger venue chosen to accommodate the crowds the project has been drawing.

MoreThanTheCurve Jun 2026
Local

Zoning hearing for the proposed data center to be held June 25th

The township confirms the first hearing for June 25 at Colonial Middle School, expected to span several dates, with party-status requests and initial testimony at the opening session.

MoreThanTheCurve May 2026
Local

No official role for Plymouth Township's Environmental Advisory Board in the hearing

The township's EAB advises Council, not the Zoning Hearing Board, and has no formal role in the special-exception process, leaving the evidentiary record to the parties.

MoreThanTheCurve May 8, 2026
Opinion

The proposed data center in Conshohocken. What (we think) you should know

A local explainer of the special-exception standard, the burden of proof, the closed-loop water claim, and the on-site gas turbines, with the author's own ambivalence about AI throughout.

Philadelphia Inquirer May 6, 2026
News

Controversial AI data center proposal has been resurrected outside Conshohocken

O'Neill resubmits the 2-million-square-foot plan six months after the first was withdrawn. More than 1,300 people have now signed a petition opposing it over light, noise, air, water, and electricity costs.

Montco Today May 5, 2026
Local

Conshohocken data center fight reignites with new application

A second attempt at the former Cleveland-Cliffs site, again requiring a special exception in the Heavy Industrial district, revives the debate over infrastructure, noise, and local impact.

Chestnut Hill Local May 2026
Local

Developer proposes another hyperscale data center in Montco

MLP Ventures founder Brian O'Neill resubmits to the zoning hearing board. The piece situates the proposal within the AI-driven national data-center boom and the local pushback against it.

MoreThanTheCurve May 1, 2026
Local

Zoning application for data center at former steel plant submitted to Plymouth Township

First report of the May 1 re-filing. State law requires a hearing within 60 days; the township says it will use the full window to prepare for anticipated public interest.

Plymouth Township May 1, 2026
Township

Plymouth Township receives zoning hearing board application for proposed data center

The township's official statement on the second application, explaining the special-exception standard and the Zoning Hearing Board's role as a quasi-judicial body weighing evidence and testimony.

Chestnut Hill Local Feb 11, 2026
Local

Residents call for data center moratorium in Plymouth Township

Patti Smith launches a petition urging newly elected officials to pass a data-center moratorium, giving the township time to write regulations before more proposals arrive.

Data Center Dynamics Oct 2025
Industry

Plymouth Township planning agency votes not to recommend data center proposal

The agency votes 4-0 against recommending a special exception for the 66-acre site, noting that the Heavy Industrial designation does not currently cover data-center uses.

6abc / WPVI Nov 18, 2025
News

Developer withdraws Plymouth Township data center plan after legal issue halts meeting

Less than an hour into the hearing, a party raised that the applicant lacked legal standing because the agreement of sale with Cleveland-Cliffs was not finalized. The application was withdrawn.

Patch Nov 2025
Local

Vote on controversial Montco data center suddenly halted Monday night

A massive crowd of opponents turned out for the expected vote, which never happened after the developer withdrew over the standing question. Opponents called it the smallest of wins.

Philadelphia Inquirer Oct 3, 2025
News

Main Line developer is planning AI data center in Plymouth Township

First detailed public report on the proposal: 2 million square feet, 10 buildings, 66 acres, on-site gas turbines, and an undisclosed tenant.

WHYY Oct 2025
News

Conshohocken-area residents push back on data center proposal

Reporting from the early hearings, with Connaughtown residents roughly 200 feet from the property line voicing concerns about noise, air, and water.

BISNOW Oct 2025
Industry

Conshohocken data center proposal fields pushback

Industry coverage of the project, the Cleveland-Cliffs steel-mill site history, and the developer's move away from the mixed-use concepts he had floated for the parcel.

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