AI Data Center Protesters Pack Falls Township Board Meeting Seeking Project Pause, Stoppage

A packed house filled the Falls Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday night, as vocal residents—driven by mounting anxiety over controversial Northpoint AI data centers—dominated the public comment portion of the evening.

What began as a standard industrial warehouse approval at the Keystone Trade Center has erupted into a localized battle over the future of digital infrastructure in Lower Bucks County. Ever since Amazon Web Services (AWS) was confirmed as the operator of the massive, multi-billion-dollar AI data center campus, a burgeoning grassroots coalition of residents has accused local officials of keeping the community in the dark. Activists, who recently mobilized thousands of signatures via online petitions, argue that the township is moving too fast to embrace an industry it cannot safely regulate.

The tension began an hour before the meeting, when a peaceful protest organized by Amanda Westerman gathered outside the municipal complex. When rain began falling halfway through the demonstration, the determined group refused to scatter. Some popped open umbrellas while others used their own signs for shelter and remaining focused on flashing their message to commuters along Lincoln Highway.

Just before the meeting’s start time, demonstrators moved into the boardroom, most standing in the back.

Once the board opened the floor to public comment on non-agenda items, more than a dozen people lined up at the microphone. Leading the way, Westerman took the microphone first.

Westerman respectfully thanked the board before sharply criticizing them for utilizing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) behind closed doors and fast-tracking the project. She demanded the project be stopped or paused due to detrimental health, environmental, and overall quality-of-life concerns. She urged the board to halt development, citing a lack of transparency and demanding a 180-day moratorium on future applications, along with an official resolution to protect the community.

Subsequent speakers backed Westerman’s demands, echoing her calls for transparency and honesty.  Several residents raised alarms over whether local law enforcement and volunteer fire departments would have enough manpower to handle emergencies at both the massive data center campus and within the surrounding community. Others raised questions regarding Right-to-Know (RTK) public records requests, property assessments, and children’s safety. Multiple speakers  strongly demanded that AI owners pay to clean up any contamination found on the site to protect public health and the local environment.

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Last year Falls Supervisors following various other public meetings, including the zoning hearing board, and planning commission – approved North Point Development’s modified land development plans, which permitted warehouses at the KTC to accommodate a data center.

Months later, Amazon announced in June that it intends to construct a data center at the site as part of a larger plan to establish multiple innovation campuses throughout the state, which would create 1,250 jobs.

The grassroots uprising against data centers in Bucks County led Bensalem Township officials to put into play its own curative amendment, that puts a pause on any AI data center development that has yet to come before the township seeking project and land development approval(s).

West Rockhill officials recently passed a Data Center ordinance, according to a Bucks County Herald report. There were 11 sections either amended, added or deleted based on community feedback.

And this week a rally at the state capital called for a moratorium to be put into place state wide, according to a Penn Capital- Star report. 

At the conclusion of public comment, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff Dence announced a dedicated town hall meeting on the planned data center for July 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pennsbury High School East (705 Hood Boulevard, Fairless Hills). The event will feature presentations from PECO, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Amazon, followed by a public question-and-answer segment.

Click here to see the full meeting including the public comment section.