ARCHBALD, PA — The Archbald Borough Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday evening on a high-stakes conditional use application for the controversial Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus, marking the official end of the public hearing process and shifting the complex land-use dispute into its decision phase. Council will convene during its regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the borough municipal building.
The upcoming vote follows nearly a year of administrative proceedings and nine formal public hearings that wrapped up last month. Across roughly 26 hours of legal arguments, testimony, and cross-examination, council members examined the application submitted by Brooklyn-based Cornell Realty Management LLC. The developer is seeking conditional use approval to construct up to 14 three-story data center buildings and accompanying electrical infrastructure across 574.2 mountainside acres spanning the borough’s Eynon and Sturges sections.
With evidentiary hearings officially closed, Wednesday’s vote will determine whether the borough grants or denies the conditional use permit under its municipal zoning framework. Regardless of the outcome, legal experts and borough officials anticipate that Wednesday's decision will likely be appealed to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas, as either the developer or opposing community groups move to challenge the board's formal findings.
If the application is approved, the developer must still navigate full land development plan reviews, obtain state environmental permits, and secure power utility agreements before any construction could begin. If council denies the request, the developer will have a 30-day window from the issuance of the written decision to file a land-use appeal in county court. The proposed campus has faced opposition from local residents and community coalitions over its heavy water demands, high electricity consumption, and potential air and noise pollution from dozens of backup generators.
