Overview
- Township officials publicly accused developer Brian O’Neill of bullying and intimidation in their fight over a proposed 2 million‑square‑foot data center at the 66‑acre former Cleveland‑Cliffs site, a dispute that local coverage flagged on Monday.
- Plymouth Township drew up a detailed 43‑point mitigation plan covering noise, light, water use, power and other safeguards and says O’Neill initially agreed to many provisions before rejecting parts of the package.
- O’Neill denies the accusations, says he has negotiated in good faith, estimates the project could bring about $21 million a year in tax revenue, and has not named the facility’s operator or tenant.
- O’Neill’s lawyers have formally challenged the township’s zoning ordinance as unduly burdensome, and a substantive zoning hearing with evidence and testimony is scheduled for early August.
- The fight reflects rising local resistance to large hyperscale data centers in the Philadelphia suburbs, where residents cite environmental, infrastructure and quality‑of‑life concerns that could drive stricter local conditions and legal battles elsewhere.