October 20, 2026
Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times
MLP Ventures and Brian O'Neill, the developers behind a proposed data center campus in King of Prussia, have withdrawn applications seeking zoning relief in Upper Merion Township. The developers are challenging the township's rejection of their plans in lawsuits filed in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. Above, a file photo from inside a data center in Santa Theresa, New Mexico.
Developers behind the proposal for a vast cluster of data centers in King of Prussia withdrew their applications before the Upper Merion Township Zoning Hearing Board on Monday, resulting in the cancellation of a planned meeting Wednesday night.
The project's opponents cautiously celebrated Tuesday, but several lawsuits the developers filed against the township last month leave the fate of the proposal in limbo.
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MLP Ventures and developer Brian O'Neill submitted a plan in April to build a campus with five data centers on properties along Renaissance Boulevard and other sites in the township. The 4.5 million-square-foot campus would be used to power artificial intelligence and biotechnology facilities.
Residents packed Upper Merion Planning Commission meetings in the spring and summer to voice their disapproval. Many cited concerns about heavy energy use, water consumption, noise and light pollution, and the impact of the campus on surrounding property values. More than 18,000 people signed an online petition against the project, noting its size would cover an expanse bigger than Philadelphia International Airport.
"As individuals who care about our environment, our taxes, our communal spaces, and basic needs including water, building these data centers (poses) a direct threat to what makes the Greater Philly area so vibrant and attractive to live in," the petition said.
The planning commission voted against recommending three of the data centers in July, and the township's Board of Supervisors rejected all five proposed facilities in August. The township argued the developers did not provide enough information about the community and environmental impacts of the project and did not meet strict zoning requirements that were created in a March ordinance to tighten regulations on such projects.
The developers had filed seven applications with the Zoning Hearing Board that were set to be heard Wednesday. The applications sought to reverse the determination made by the township's zoning officer in July or take other steps — such as providing variances — that would allow the project to move forward. Earlier this month, the Zoning Hearing Board moved to toss the developers' appeals on grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the claims, and the applications were withdrawn Monday.
"There are now no remaining claims for the Applicants to present before the Township Zoning Hearing Board," the township wrote in a statement Monday. "As such, there will be no need for the Zoning Hearing Board to conduct any hearings this Wednesday."
MLP Ventures and the developers' attorney, Marc Kaplin, could not be reached for comment Tuesday on their next steps.
An economic impact study O'Neill produced in August — before the township rejected the project — touted that the data center campus would support 15,000 jobs per year during construction and create $55.4 million in local tax revenue. The developers said the project would generate on-site electricity instead of being connected to the grid and would rely on closed-loop water systems for cooling, in addition to meeting township requirements for noise abatement.
The data centers would create 717 permanent positions, O'Neill said, including some roles with six-figure salaries that people could obtain through apprenticeships and skilled-trade certifications rather than four-year degrees.
The developers have filed lawsuits in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas disputing Upper Merion's updated zoning laws. They contend the township's changes, which heighten scrutiny of utility use and impose rules for how data centers impact residential areas, should not apply to their proposal. The applications for the data center campus were submitted days before the new ordinance was formally adopted. The developers claim the project should be evaluated under the permitted uses of the prior law, which would qualify the data centers as warehouses.
By withdrawing its applications in Upper Merion Township, MLP Ventures could now be seeking to have the court settle the matter — and the fate of the project — instead of continuing to work with local officials.
"We need to stay informed and stay vigilant," Upper Merion Against Data Centers, one of the groups organized against the project, said in a Facebook post Monday.
O'Neill and MLP Ventures have a separate data center proposal under consideration nearby in Plymouth Township, where they are seeking build a smaller campus covering about 2 million square feet at the former Cleveland-Cliffs steel plant on Conshohocken Road. That project was originally proposed last year and resubmitted in May following questions about the developers' legal standing at the property. Montgomery County, which owns a former quarry across the street from the proposed site, will have a stake in the township's zoning review of the plan.
The developers' economic impact study for the Plymouth Township project says it would support about 5,000 construction jobs per year and create 371 permanent positions. The proposal has faced staunch opposition from residents in Plymouth and Conshohocken.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order in August that prevents data centers from being fast-tracked and requires local approval before state permits can be granted. It also imposes new requirements related to energy infrastructure and public transparency, among other measures.
Data center development is viewed as a driving issue in next month's gubernatorial election. Both Shapiro and his Republican challenger, Stacy Garrity, have scaled back their earlier support for such projects in response to public backlash.
A Quinnipiac poll released this month found 64% of likely voters in Pennsylvania said they think data centers will do more harm than good in the state, including 80% of Democrats and 72% of independents. Republicans were more evenly split in the poll with 44% believing data centers will be more beneficial and 40% saying they'll be more harmful.
