ARCHBALD, PA — The fate of a highly contentious data center proposal in Lackawanna County now rests with the Archbald Borough Council following the conclusion of a lengthy public hearing process on Wednesday night.
After more than seven months, nine separate hearings, and over 20 hours of testimony, council members officially closed the record on Brooklyn-based Cornell Realty Management LLC’s conditional use application for the proposed Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus. The developer is seeking approval to construct more than 2.8 million square feet of data center facilities across 574 acres of mountainside land overlooking Eynon and Sturges.
Prior to concluding the final hearing, the seven-member borough council voted unanimously to deny six recusal motions filed by community opposition groups who questioned the impartiality of certain local officials. With the public hearing phase complete, state law grants the council a 45-day window to deliberate and issue a formal ruling to either approve, reject, or attach specific conditions to the massive commercial development project.
The proposed campus has generated fierce pushback from nearby residents, who have repeatedly raised environmental concerns regarding heavy water consumption, land clearance, potential noise pollution, and increased strain on the local electrical grid. Council members are expected to hold discussions on the matter during upcoming municipal meetings before taking a final binding vote before the October deadline.
