The Plymouth Township planning board voted 4-0 not to recommend that the zoning board make a special exception for an AI data center at the idled Cleveland Cliffs steel mill. Developer Brian O’Neill wants to turn the former steel mill into a 2-million-square-foot data center that would span 10 existing buildings on the 66-acre site. O’Neill called his proposal a “sensitive, historic renovation” that would put the area on the cutting edge of an in-demand industry and attract more businesses to the region. Residents organized quickly, voicing fears that the project will damage their community, drive up energy prices and ignore local needs. In their decision, the planning board cited intense community pushback over environmental, safety and economic concerns. The next step for O’Neill’s plan is consideration by the Plymouth Township Zoning Hearing Board on Oct. 20, which is not bound by the planning board’s vote.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 10/3/2025