Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has ordered a task force to study data centers in Philly and report back by June

Anna Orso and Jake Blumgart, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sep 17, 2026

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PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday ordered a task force composed of members of her administration to explore whether the city should place new regulations on the construction of data centers — and to present her with its findings in about eight months.

The mayor, a Democrat who has not staked a position on whether Philadelphia should host the controversial “hyperscale” data centers that power artificial intelligence, signed an executive order establishing the task force on Wednesday.

In a video message posted to social media, the mayor said the issue is of “grave importance.” She said she has heard from residents who are concerned that a large data center in the city could hike utility bills and drive pollution.

“This does not mean that a hyperscale data center is being built now, however, if a firm was to apply to the city of Philadelphia to build one of these hyperscale data centers, we want to make sure that we are fully prepared to know what the impact on Philadelphians would be,” Parker said. “We want the appropriate guardrails in place so that we do everything possible to protect our city.”

The task force will be made up of members of Parker’s administration, as well as a representative from City Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s office. The group is charged with gathering information from neighborhood groups, unions that represent construction workers, environmental advocates, public health experts, and more.

According to the executive order, the task force must present a final report to the mayor by June 30.

The mayor’s move came just two days after dozens of activists held a rally outside City Hall calling on Parker and members of Council to pass a multiyear moratorium on the construction of data centers in Philadelphia. They vowed to make data centers an electoral issue ahead of the May primary election, when the mayor and every Council seat will be on the ballot.

The group, called No Data Centers in Philly, said in a statement Wednesday that Parker giving the task force until June to make its recommendations is too little, too late, and that “a task force does nothing to protect us now and takes time that we don’t have.”

“Across the country, data centers have relied on dirty deals to get built, with NDAs, backroom negotiations, and massive tax handouts,” the statement read. “We can’t let that happen here. The communities who will see their health, homes, and wallets hurt by a data center need to be at the table.”

Parker’s order also comes as talks of regulating artificial intelligence have gripped Washington after a handful of tech executives called for a global slowdown on the advancing technology. There’s been bipartisan backlash across the country to the data centers that power AI, however, President Donald Trump has said that the industry does not need new regulations.

Last month, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order that effectively placed limits on data center construction in the state and required that the projects receive local backing before obtaining a state permit. It would also ban state agencies from using non-disclosure agreements.

In Philadelphia, no member of City Council has said publicly that they would introduce legislation to place a moratorium on data center construction. Lawmakers are not currently considering any specific proposal to construct a data center.

This summer, the city’s planning commission issued a report indicating that there just two plots of land in Philadelphia that could accommodate a hyperscale data center: the former South Philly refinery site known as the Bellwether District and 2600 Grant Ave., a city-owned plot adjacent to the Northeast Philadelphia airport.

However, building a data center in either of those locations would face hurdles.

City Councilmember Mike Driscoll, a Democrat who represents the district where the Grant Avenue site is located, said in an interview Thursday that he “is a no, until we really figure this whole thing out.” He said he’s concerned that a data center could drive higher utility bills for his constituents.

“I think we have to participate to be competitive in the global economy,” he said. “But it’s ripe for some problems, and I think we have to sort that out at the federal level.”

District Council members wield enormous power over land use decisions in their district, meaning that opposition from Driscoll could effectively eliminate that location as a possible site.

And Bellwether district leaders have said no data center is currently in the works there.

Mia Fioravanti, senior vice president of corporate affairs for the HRP Group/The Bellwether District, said earlier this week at the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia PAGE Real Estate & Construction Summit, that there are no “data center users in our current project pipeline.”

Johnson represents the area where the Bellwether district is located. He declined to comment on the matter this week.