DICKSON CITY, PA — Borough officials will hold a second public hearing today, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, to discuss proposed legislation that would establish strict new regulations for data center developments. The hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Borough Building on Enterprise Street, where the council is considering zoning amendments that would shift data centers from a "permitted" use to a "special exception" within light manufacturing districts.
The push for new legislation follows a massive proposal from a local developer to construct four data centers on a stretch of undeveloped land above Business Route 6. The proposed project area spans from the Blakely border to the residential neighborhoods of Bell Mountain near the Scranton line, including the wooded acreage behind the former Kmart. Under the current borough code, data centers are not explicitly defined, which officials say creates a legal gray area that could allow for unregulated growth of the energy-intensive industry.
The proposed amendments would require any future data center developer to go before the Zoning Hearing Board to obtain a special exception. This process would allow the borough to impose specific conditions on a project-by-project basis, such as requiring sound-dampening walls, minimum "setback" distances from homes, and detailed environmental impact studies regarding water and electricity usage. Residents of Bell Mountain and surrounding areas have expressed concern that the large-scale server farms could cause noise pollution and strain the local power grid, which is already under pressure from similar proposals in neighboring Archbald and Jessup.
Today's hearing will allow the public to offer formal testimony on the specific language of the ordinance before the council takes a final vote. Borough officials have emphasized that the legislation is not intended to ban data centers entirely but to ensure the town has the legal tools necessary to protect residential character and local infrastructure. If the council eventually approves the amendments, Dickson City would join several other "Mid-Valley" municipalities that have recently rushed to update their zoning codes in response to a surge of interest from the artificial intelligence and cloud computing industries.