This story was updated June 27, 2026, to reflect the following corrections on the original story published June 26:
During previous regular business meetings on June 3 and June 17, Bucks County Commissioners clarified as a board they have no public position on data centers as the construction of these complexes falls under federal and state law and local municipal jurisdiction. Commissioners have been working for the past several months with the Bucks County Planning Commission, an advisory board to the county’s 54 municipalities, to ensure zoning ordinances and restrictions are up to date to prevent or restrict data center complex construction from being permitted within their borders.
The June 3 meeting recording may be viewed here.
The June 17 meeting recording may be viewed here.
During his public comment time, Falls Township resident, Wayne David Bell, who had heated words with Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, was removed from the podium after his allotted time expired. Bell returned to his seat in the meeting room, after which he appeared to leave unescorted. The original report said Ellis-Marseglia asked security to remove Bell after she claimed he was unnecessarily yelling. It was unclear if her request was for Bell to be removed from the podium for the next speaker, or cleared from the meeting room. – Editors
ORIGINAL STORY WITH REVISIONS
Falls Township residents spoke out against the 250-acre artificial intelligence or AI data center being built in their community during a regular Bucks County Commissioners meeting on June 17.
Residents seemed worried and angry at the ongoing construction occurring in their neighborhoods.
NorthPoint Development purchased 1,800 acres of land in Falls Township in January 2021 for about $160 million dollars. The land sits at the former U.S. Steel site, now called the Keystone Trade Center.
Last year, NorthPoint revised their initial plans for the land. They decided to dedicate a portion of the land towards a “digital infrastructure campus.”
North Falls Township Board of Supervisors met in March of last year and unanimously approved the new plan, with the state fast tracking the project a month later.
In June of last year, Amazon announced they would be taking up residence in the 250-acres of land that NorthPoint set aside in a historic $20 billion-dollar statewide investment.
Residents were unaware that Amazon wouldn’t be building an average warehouse and laying the groundwork instead on a massive AI data center.
The Falls Township Board of Supervisors, on the other hand, was fully aware what the land was going to be used for when they approved NorthPoint’s land revisions in March 2025. A year after their decision, residents are finally catching onto what is really going on.
Despite ongoing pushbacks from the community, including a recent petition that has gained nearly 4,000 signatures and a protest, the development has been moving forward at a steady pace.
At Wednesday’s Commissioners meeting, multiple residents of Falls Township voiced their concerns.
Republican Jennifer Metzger, who ran for Falls Township Supervisor last year, views the data center as a “catastrophic economic deception” and described it as a “mass bait and switch.”
“In 2022, the project (Keystone Trade Center) promised 10,000 local jobs. Today those warehouse jobs are gone. The benefits transferred to Amazon, but the employment vanished, yielding a pathetic 1.2% (125 jobs) of what they promised,” Metzger said.
Another resident of Falls Township, Wayne David Bell, voiced his opposition to commissioners during Wednesday’s meeting; often raising his voice and appearing combative.
READ: New Bill Aims to Hit the Pause Button on Data Center Construction in Pennsylvania
He described the data center as a “regional disaster wrapped in a local NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement),” and that Amazon would act as a “parasitic drain” on the Falls Township energy grid.
“Amazon just applied for permits to fire up 280 nitro gas fired jet turbine engines and three diesel locomotive back up engines. Right in our own backyard,” said Bell. “This is not innovation; it is a catastrophic greenhouse gas smoke screen.”
Bell ruffled some feathers after announcing “county officials claim their hands are tied. Your’s are not!”
“This is a county-wide infrastructure crisis. Bucks County faces poison air, bioaccumulation risk and skyrocketing PECO bills.”
After his time ran out Bell made a request for a speaking time “do over,” which was not extended. Bell was then removed from the podium by security. Bell returned to his seat in the meeting room, after which he appeared to leave unescorted.
The previously reported story stated commissioners did not comment about the data center during the June 17 meeting.
However, on June 17 Commissioner Bob Harvie said “the Bucks County Planning Commission has on its website and has distributed to the 54 municipalities, guidelines about data centers, about how to make sure their zoning codes are up to date and different recommendations of best practices. Most of that came from the Loudoun County [Virginia] government because they are ‘ground zero’ for data centers on the planet.”
Bucks County Planning Commission is an advisory board, according to Ellis-Marseglia.
In the commonwealth, local municipal elected officials are responsible for enacting zoning ordinances, updates and restrictions for land use, under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
Known as “Data Center Alley” or “ground zero” Loudoun County hosts more than 50 million square feet of space dedicated to data centers, representing “nearly 13% of global activity capacity,” the Virginian-Pilot reported.
“They have seen the impact; they are seeing the impact and they have become the ‘de facto’ experts other counties are looking to,” Harvie said.
The guidelines are updated to address data centers and “make recommendations about best practices – most of that came from Loudoun County, Virginia.
In the previous meetings on June 3 and June 17, commissioners clarified their position that data centers are under federal, state and local jurisdictions.
At the June 3 commissioners meeting Ellis-Marseglia told the audience:
“With all due respect, I don’t think you know what any of our opinion is because the county commissioners do not have anything to do with this. This has to do with federal laws, state laws and local township laws, which is Falls Township. I appreciate your concern and it’s important to keep us informed, I just don’t want us to be attacked over something we have absolutely no control over. This is a place to educate, not a not a place to yell.”
Falls Township is hosting a Town Hall meeting about the data center on July 14, with PECO, Amazon and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection set to give presentations followed by a Q&A session.
