A developer with a long history of developing Conshohocken’s riverfront is behind the proposed data center at 900 Conshohocken Road in Conshohocken (Plymouth Township). The entity that submitted the application, which seeks a special exception to allow a data center, is 900 Conshohocken Road, LLC which is associated with developer Brian O’Neill.
Brian O’Neill’s development history in Conshohocken dates back to the mid-to-late 1980s when he repurposed the former Lee Tire property into an office campus. He would then go on to develop Millennium I-3 (office buildings), Riverwalk Apartments, and the Lumina Apartments (which opened as Londonbury under O’Neill’s ownership).
Based on the application, O’Neill will argue that data centers are “consistent with and of the same general character” as laboratories and warehouses, which are already permitted under the current zoning. Regarding laboratories, the application states that they are similar in nature due to both requiring careful engineering to maintain specific environmental conditions, redudant power systems, cooling systems, centralized and protected storage, security protocols, and compliance requirements.
When compared to a warehouse use, the application points out that warehouses can be very sophisticated operations involving a variety of controls based on what is being stored and that a data center is essentially warehousing digital and electronic data.
Other information gleaned from the application indicates that O’Neill intends to utilize the existing buildings, and they will be divided into two floors. The areas outside the buildings will be utilized for parking, standby generators, and gas turbines. The rail aparatus that exists on the site will be removed.
The application does not provide any information on how the data center would draw from the power grid, nor on the use of any water from the Schuylkill River.
This is not the only data center zoning change being sought in the immediate area. The Borough of West Conshohocken is currently considering zoning changes that would permit data centers in the area adjacent to its border with Upper Merion. During an August 2025 meeting, West Conshohocken’s council voted 6-0 (minutes) to appoint a data center expert to help draft an ordinance to allow data centers within its heavy industrial zoning district.
Upper Merion already allows smaller data centers in zoning districts in the area of Swedeland, River, and Church roads. A proposed ordinance would permit larger data centers in Renaissance Park, which O’Neill developed.
In Plymouth Township, the data center application will be reviewed by the township’s planning commission on Wednesday, October 1st, at 7:00 p.m. The planning agency will consider whether to make a recommendation to the zoning hearing board, which will hold a hearing at a future date (the earliest possible date would be October 20th). You can view the application here.
Image – 900 Conshohocken Road, LLC