A plan to turn the former Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill into a massive 2-million-square-foot AI data center hit a major setback this week, writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Main Line developer Brian O’Neil withdrew the application during a packed Plymouth Township zoning hearing. O’Neill had sought a zoning exception to build on the 66-acre site along the Schuylkill, less than a mile from downtown Conshohocken, but a legal dispute over his standing derailed the proceedings.
Hundreds of residents, many of whom have organized against the proposal, filled the meeting room expecting a lengthy debate over noise, emissions, power use, and neighborhood impacts. Instead, O’Neill’s attorney requested another delay, only for Cleveland-Cliffs, the property owner, to argue that no finalized agreement of sale existed. This left the developer without legal authority to continue.
The zoning board ultimately accepted the withdrawal, officially removing the proposal from consideration for now. Opponents, who have gathered more than 1,000 petition signatures, called the withdrawal a small but meaningful victory. Still, they are preparing for the likelihood the application will resurface.
The high-profile project comes as data center proposals spread across the region. AI-driven electricity demand is reshaping debates in Bucks, Chester, and now Montgomery County.
To learn more about the ongoing battle over the data center in Conshohocken, visit The Philadelphia Inquirer.
