After months of procedural delays and escalating legal fights, the Plymouth Township Zoning Hearing Board will hear its first actual testimony on the proposed 1.95-million-square-foot data center at 900 Conshohocken Road at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at Colonial Middle School.
Developer Brian O'Neill of MLP Ventures will begin presenting his case to convert the former Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill site into a hyperscale data center spanning 10 existing buildings on 66 acres along the Schuylkill River. The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube; remote participation is not permitted.
What's new since last week
Two developments landed in the 48 hours before the hearing:
The developer's economic pitch. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, O'Neill released an economic impact study prepared by 4ward Planning Inc., a firm hired by his own entity, 900 Conshohocken Road LLC. The study projects $424 million in new tax revenue over 20 years and claims Colonial School District would receive $15.4 million annually once the facility is fully operational. As we reported Aug. 5, the $15.4 million figure is the school district's share alone; total first-year revenue across all four taxing jurisdictions would be roughly $21.1 million, according to the study's own tables. The site currently generates just $181,781 in combined annual property taxes.
Conshohocken poised to join the fight. Conshohocken Borough Council had a vote on its Aug. 5 agenda to authorize its solicitor to seek party status in the zoning proceedings. Local outlet MoreThanTheCurve described the vote as "more of a formality," noting council members had already agreed to intervene.
The backstory
O'Neill first applied for the data center in 2025 but withdrew that application in November after a legal standing issue. He resubmitted in May 2026. Two prior hearing sessions, on June 25 and July 28, dealt only with procedural matters and party-status determinations. No evidence was taken at either.
Plymouth Township Council voted unanimously to oppose the application. Council Chair Lynne Viscio said on July 27 that the township "will not allow ourselves to be bullied or intimidated by any developer. Full stop."
The council developed a 43-point list of conditions including a 500-foot residential setback, a 50-decibel noise cap at property boundaries, closed-loop cooling, no water withdrawal from the Schuylkill River, and full off-grid power self-sufficiency. O'Neill rejected all 43.
O'Neill told the Philadelphia Inquirer on July 27 that the accusations were "a bold-faced lie" and part of a "misinformation campaign," adding that he had been negotiating in good faith and agreed to "the majority" of the township's conditions.
How to watch
The hearing begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at Colonial Middle School, 716 Belvoir Road, Plymouth Meeting. Residents can attend in person or watch the YouTube livestream. Multiple hearing sessions are expected; no future dates have been scheduled.
