Philadelphia: 35 sites, 22 operators, 850 MW under construction

• 21 Aug 2026Zoning decision

  Norristown Municipal Council passes data center ordinance

  Norristown Municipal Council unanimously adopted a data center ordinance on August 21, 2026, establishing zoning regulations for data center facilities in the municipality's 41-acre heavy industrial district near SEPTA's Norristown Transportation Center and the Schuylkill River. The ordinance includes 14 categories of development requirements, addressing environmental concerns, utility infrastructure costs, backup power generation, air pollution, decommissioning plans, and plume studies. Council members David McMahon and Jasmine Griffen spearheaded the initiative to establish strict guidelines proactively, following data center proposal activity across the region and concerns about nuisance impacts. The measure updates the existing zoning code to define and regulate data center uses under conditional use provisions, ensuring compliance with Pennsylvania state law which requires municipalities to provide for legal land uses within their jurisdiction.

• 20 Aug 2026Refused

  Plans for five data centers in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania blocked

  Plans for five data centers in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania have been blocked.

• 18 Aug 2026Zoning decision

  Vineland planning board approves 300-MW data center site plan

  The Vineland, New Jersey planning board voted 8–1 on August 18 to approve a site plan for a 300-megawatt data center being developed by DataOne for the Nebius Group to support Microsoft's AI infrastructure. The approval enables construction of a liquefied natural gas storage tank and Bloom Energy fuel cells to generate the facility's power. Residents mounted sustained opposition over six hours of hearing, citing safety concerns about the LNG tank, carbon emissions of over 2 billion pounds annually, and water consumption of 8 million gallons yearly, but the board found the project compliant with local zoning and voted to approve it.

• 13 Aug 2026Refused

  Allentown data center plans dropped after officials deny application

  Plans for a 2.6 million sq ft data center outside Allentown, Pennsylvania were dropped after local officials denied the application.

• 7 Aug 2026Zoning decision

  Allentown City Council tightens data center zoning ordinance after public backlash

  Allentown City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday, August 7, 2026 to amend its June 2026 data center zoning ordinance with stricter requirements. The amendments reduce permitted industrial zones for data centers from two to one, increase setbacks from homes, schools and daycares from 200 feet to 500 feet, require stricter noise studies, mandate decommissioning plans, and require developers to hold public informational meetings before formal approval. The changes came after residents and anti-data center activists argued the original ordinance did not adequately protect communities from facility impacts including noise, energy costs and water pollution.

• 31 Jul 2026Litigation

  Amazon and Duke Energy accused of Clean Air Act violations at Hamlet, North Carolina data center

  Amazon and Duke Energy have been accused of evading the Clean Air Act in connection with an under-development data center in Hamlet, North Carolina.

• 29 Jul 2026Refused

  King of Prussia planners vote down data center proposals

  Planners in King of Prussia voted against data center proposals in the area.

• 6 May 2014Financing$179.5M

  Starwood Property Trust Originates $179.5M Data Center Financing in Philadelphia

  Starwood Property Trust originated a $179.5 million first mortgage and mezzanine loan to finance the acquisition of a premier data center facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The financing represents a significant capital deployment in the data center sector by the commercial real estate finance company. The deal demonstrates continued investment activity in strategically located data center assets on the East Coast.

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