On Wednesday night, more than 300 community members packed the Valley View High School auditorium to voice their concerns regarding the proposed Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus. The hearing, which focused on a conditional use application from Brooklyn-based Cornell Realty Management LLC, highlighted a massive project that would span 5.66 million square feet above the Sturges and Eynon sections of Archbald Borough. The proposal has drawn intense scrutiny due to the immense volume of water and electricity required to operate a facility of this scale, leading to a heated debate over the long-term sustainability of the local infrastructure.
The project faced significant pushback from prominent local legislators during the proceedings. State Representative Kyle Mullins declared his unequivocal opposition to the construction of more than a dozen data centers above Business Route 6, while Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan urged Archbald officials to weigh the broader regional impacts. Gaughan went a step further by calling for a statewide moratorium on all data center developments, arguing that a pause is necessary to fully investigate the potential environmental and social harms associated with these facilities.
As the first in a likely series of public discussions, the meeting underscored a deep divide between the developers and the local community. Residents expressed fear that the resource-heavy nature of the Wildcat Ridge campus could compromise local utilities and change the character of the borough. With the debate far from settled, Archbald Borough officials have formally scheduled a follow-up hearing for Wednesday, February 11th, to continue evaluating the application and hearing testimony from stakeholders.