The township says this is ‘a blatant attempt by the Applicant to demand approval by tantrum.’
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Many jurisdictions would have just outright rejected or delayed the data center project , which is owned by Brian O’Neill, but Plymouth Township decided to go in a different direction. It still allowed the application to go through, as not doing so would expose the local government to legal action, but gave the developer the outlined demands (listed in pages 4 to 12 of this PDF ) that it needs to meet to get the green light from its people. The township said that the applicant initially showed that they would implement that township’s provisions, which were derived from the demands of its residents.
“The Council can, should, and will do everything in its power to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the Township, our environment, and our residents. This is always our top priority,” Council President Lynne Viscio said in a statement. “We understand that a hyperscale data center raises numerous significant concerns, issues, and questions. Accordingly, we spent considerable time researching and developing a comprehensive set of requirements to address the concerns raised by residents, our own concerns, and the issues raised by other subject matter experts.”
Unfortunately, the data center developer rejected the concerns after seeing the breakdown of demands. It then filed a second application challenging the provisions set in the zoning ordinance, saying that they make building the project “too difficult” for the developer. Plymouth Township did not look kindly upon this, saying it “is a blatant attempt by the Applicant to demand approval by tantrum.” It’s currently unclear how Plymouth Township will move forward with the issue, with the application currently awaiting approval from the Zoning Hearing Board.
As for O’Neill, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the accusations of was part of a “misinformation campaign” against his project, and that he has been “negotiating in good faith” with the township’s attorney and had even agreed to most of the provisions. “We are sympathetic to the fact that they are under tremendous political scrutiny from people outside the township, as well as residents inside the township, and that makes giving a landowner their property rights … challenging,” he told the local newspaper. “However, I am a landowner, and I do have rights, and it is their job to be impartial and fair in their analysis and response.”
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Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/pennsylvania-town-lists-43-specific-demands-to-approve-new-data-center-project-developer-calls-local-demands-too-difficult-as-council-slams-response-as-approval-by-tantrum#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/subscription
- Best in Class: Stream PC Games and Study on the Same Laptop With GeForce NOW
- Teacher arrested for clapping in support of opposition at an AI data center meeting — gigawatt-scale project gets approved anyway despite community resistance
- Sharpen the Sword, Skip the Downloads — ‘Onimusha: Way of the Sword’ Is Coming to GeForce NOW
- Google goes cash flow negative for the first time as AI data center buildout increases capex to a staggering $44.9 billion in a single quarter — CFO warns that
- 30 Georgia homes are being acquired via sale or eminent domain to expand power grid — one affected family member says it’s ‘for the data centers’
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.