Residents in Upper Merion Township reacted emotionally after officials voted against a proposal to construct five large data centers near King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
For opponents of the project, the outcome was a major win after months of warnings that the development could harm health, disrupt daily life, and weaken home values in the region.
Here's what to know
According to WHYY News, Upper Merion's Board of Supervisors rejected developer Brian O'Neill's plan for a data center campus covering more than 4.6 million square feet.
Backers had promoted the data center development as a substantial tax generator. WHYY reported that O'Neill estimated the campus would produce $55.4 million in local tax revenue each year, including about $38 million for the school district.
Supervisors said, however, that the submission still lacked crucial materials for approval. WHYY reported that Chairperson Tina Garzillo pointed to missing landscaping, traffic-impact, emergency-management and sanitary-sewer plans tied to the data center proposals.
"The data centers at best are speculative and conceptual in nature, as evidenced by the lack of necessary details on the plan," Garzillo told the outlet.
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The project also faced organized backlash from residents. Opponents collected nearly 18,000 signatures for a change.org petition called "No AI data centers in King of Prussia, PA," and dozens of people publicly asked the board to vote it down.
Resident Zach Davis told the supervisors before the vote, per WHYY, "We are once again putting our faith in you to make the morally right and legally right decision. Please vote no on all five of these proposals tonight."
More background
Across the country, growing demand for the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence has turned data centers into a recurring source of local conflict.
Communities often object to the facilities' large electricity and water needs, as well as noise, heat, and air-pollution impacts.
In Upper Merion, O'Neill said his proposed campus would produce its own electricity, a setup he argued would limit strain on the grid and avoid higher utility bills. But WHYY also reported that the plan included natural gas turbines and diesel backup generators, raising fears among neighbors about air pollution issues and other health concerns.
And while O'Neill now has the opportunity to appeal the board's decision or submit a revised plan, residents are celebrating.
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