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Project Gravity (Archbald)

Archbald Borough, Lackawanna County

Project Gravity would put seven data center buildings on about 186 acres of old mine land between Business Route 6 and Eynon Jermyn Road in Archbald, next to homes and the Valley View Estates mobile home park.

ContestedLargeGrid HyperscaleBrownfieldNEPA
At a glance

The project by the numbers

StatusApplication Filed
Capacity475 MW
Building area1,620,000 sq ft
Site186 acres
Water (max)0.36 MGD
Capex$ 8.4 B
Permanent jobs, as claimed300
First announced2024
Target onlineTBD (5-yr build)

Final plans filed for Corscale's 475 megawatt Project Gravity campus in Archbald

The number that mattersCorscale says the 475 megawatt campus would rely on a 430 megawatt battery system for backup power, cutting its diesel generators from 260 to 45.
Developer
Corscale, which WVIA describes as related to the commercial real estate developer Patrinely Group, says it owns, develops and operates its campuses and has owned this site since late 2025. Archbald 25 Developer LLC, a New York company tied to Western Hospitality Partners, started the project and sold the land to US Gravity Purchaser LLC on December 23, 2025. US Gravity Purchaser is associated with Affinius Capital of San Antonio, Corscale's investment partner. Corscale's executive vice president of business development, Erik Draaisma, has been its public spokesman.
Tenant
Corscale said in October 2026 that the campus has a hyperscale tenant but that it can't name it yet, and that it usually signs 10 to 20 year contracts. In January 2026 the earlier developer's attorney said there was no tenant and that it wouldn't build without one.
Current stage
Corscale submitted final land development plans to the borough in September 2026. Because the project was filed in 2025 under the borough's 2023 zoning, where data centers are a permitted use, it skips the conditional use hearings other Archbald campuses face. The Planning Commission gave the preliminary plan conditional approval in September 2025, but the project still needs final land development approval, a zoning permit, state stormwater and wetland permits and a PennDOT highway occupancy permit.
Decision body
Archbald Borough Council decides on final land development plans, with the Archbald Planning Commission reviewing them (council voted in April 2026 to make the commission an advisory body and adopted Ordinance 01-2026 amending the land development rules in August). The state Department of Environmental Protection decides the Chapter 102 stormwater permit and the Chapter 105 wetland and stream permit, and PennDOT decides the highway occupancy permit.
Top issues
Neighbors worry most about the campus sitting beside 18 homes and the Valley View Estates mobile home park, whose residents were told to expect eviction. Other concerns include trees cleared before permits were issued, wetlands, streams and old mine workings on the site, water drawn from Lake Scranton, round-the-clock noise, backup power, and the secrecy around the tenant.
Key opponents
Stop Archbald Data Centers, co-founded by Tamara Misewicz-Healey and Justin Healey, and members of Archbald Residents for Responsible Zoning, who turned out at Corscale's open house. Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan opposes the Archbald campuses and wants a three-year moratorium. Jermyn's borough manager wrote to Archbald council in March 2026 about tree clearing and noise near Jermyn homes, and neighbors in Archbald and Jermyn whose homes border the site have objected to the campus.
Key supporters
Corscale says the campus would bring about $20 million a year in taxes at full build-out, 300 to 325 full-time jobs and a voluntary community benefits agreement. Borough Manager Dan Markey has argued data centers would be major revenue sources, telling residents a single one could cover more than 60 percent of the borough's budget. No organized local group has formed in support.

How we got here

Archbald 25 Developer LLC presented Project Gravity to the Archbald Planning Commission on April 2, 2025 and filed land development plans that spring under the 2023 zoning. The commission gave the preliminary plan conditional approval in September 2025, and the state accepted the project into its PA Permit Fast Track program on September 22, 2025. Archbald 25 sold the land to US Gravity Purchaser LLC, tied to Corscale, on December 23, 2025. The Department of Environmental Protection held a public meeting on the wetland permit on January 6, 2026, and trees on the site were cleared in early 2026. Meanwhile council passed the borough's data center overlay on November 24, 2025, and three council members, including former council president Dave Moran, resigned in April 2026 before new members were seated. The state dropped Project Gravity from Fast Track on May 1, 2026 for lack of responsiveness, and Gov. Josh Shapiro's August 18, 2026 executive order removed all data centers from that program. Corscale filed final land development plans in September 2026 and held a public open house in October.

What is at stake

Impacts raised and open questions

Environmental justice and site legacy

High

Adjacent to Lackawanna Housing Authority - environmental justice concern; ejected from Fast Track May 2026.

PA Office of the Governor

Water

High

Project Gravity projected about 360,000 gallons/day from Lake Scranton (serves 134,570 people); cluster's Wildcat Ridge up to 3.3 MGD, some from flooded coal mines.

Grist, co-published by Spotlight PA

Environmental justice and site legacy

High

Six data center campuses proposed by five developers would cover roughly 14 percent of Archbald Borough and displace an existing trailer park, according to reporting by Spotlight PA.

Grist, co-published by Spotlight PA

Energy costs and the grid

High

Lackawanna County has drawn at least a dozen data center proposals since 2024, and County Commissioner Bill Gaughan has written to the Governor and legislative leaders asking for a three year statewide moratorium.

Grist, co-published by Spotlight PA

Environmental justice and site legacy

High

The Valley View Estates mobile home park sits within the Project Gravity site. Grist reported in March 2026 that its residents, many of them disabled or caregivers, had been told to expect eviction by April 15, 2026 after the park owner agreed to sell to a data center developer.

Grist, co-published by Spotlight PA

Energy costs and the grid

High

PPL Electric Utilities confirmed its planned Archbald Mountain transmission lines, switchyards and substation are driven by data centers, and Project Gravity appears to be one of the two customers shown on its map. PPL says large customers pay for equipment built only for them, while regional upgrades are added to rates for all customers.

WVIA News

Water

Medium

Corscale now says Project Gravity will use closed-loop cooling and about 7,500 gallons of water a day with ordinary domestic wastewater, far below the 360,000 gallons a day from Lake Scranton that the earlier developer's attorney estimated in January 2026.

WVIA

Water

Medium

The developer's state permit application lists seven wetlands covering about 2.25 acres, two streams and 31 open bodies of water on the site, all left from mining. Wetland losses over 0.05 acres must be replaced or covered through a wetland bank, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

WVIA

Air quality

Medium

Corscale says it will keep 45 diesel backup generators, down from 260, by adding a 430 megawatt battery energy storage system, and that the campus will draw its power from the grid.

WVIA

Noise and vibration

Medium

The developer's team committed in January 2026 to stay under 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night. The Department of Environmental Protection doesn't regulate noise, so enforcement falls to the borough.

WVIA

Jobs and tax claims

Medium

Corscale projects 300 to 325 full-time jobs, more than 1,000 construction jobs and about $20 million a year in taxes at full build-out, 60 percent of it for the Valley View School District, and says it has not asked for tax breaks.

WVIA

Visual and light

Medium

Corscale's renderings show the campus would be most visible from Business Route 6, with buildings at least 370 feet from the nearest home behind a planted buffer at least 50 feet wide.

WVIA

Traffic

Low

The borough manager reported in August 2026 that Project Gravity must build stormwater improvements along Jermyn Road and obtain a PennDOT highway occupancy permit, with the borough acting as applicant and the developer as its agent.

Archbald Borough
Community response

Who is organizing against it

Stop Archbald Data Centers

Cluster (Archbald borough) · Founded 2025 · 750+ (event petition) signatures

Leaders: Tamara Misewicz-Healey (movement leader); panel organizers

Tactics: Facebook group (about 7,900 members ≈ 2/3 of borough population), public library information forums, mass meeting turnout (200 to 400+), candidate/council pressure leading to 3 resignations, land-use appeals tracking

Covers the entire 6-campus Archbald cluster (P013/P014/P030/P031/P032/P033). Instrumental in Project Scott's 5-0 denial (Mar 27 2026) and council leadership turnover (new president Louis Rapoch). Backed by Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan (pro-moratorium).

Archbald Residents for Responsible Zoning

Archbald Borough

Tactics: Members wear group t-shirts to borough meetings and attended Corscale's October 2026 open house on Project Gravity.

Named by WVIA alongside Stop Archbald Data Centers at the Project Gravity open house. No other details were found.

Lackawanna Citizens' Overwatch Project

Lackawanna County

Leaders: Aline Browning

Tactics: Supports local officials and residents opposing data centers and raises the county's history of industrial pollution and cancer rates.

Described by Resilience as one of the citizen groups backing opposition to Lackawanna County data centers.

Timeline

How it has unfolded

  • 2025-04-02The developer, linked to Western Hospitality Partners, presents an overview of Project Gravity to the Archbald Planning Commission. Stop Archbald Data Centers
  • 2025-09-22The state accepts Project Gravity into the PA Permit Fast Track program. WVIA
  • 2025-11-24Council creates a Data Center Overlay District by a 4 to 2 vote with one abstention. Dave Moran, Francis Burke, Marie Andreoli and Richard Guman voted yes, Laura Lewis and Erin Owen voted no, and John Shnipes III abstained because his family's property is involved in one of the projects. The borough manager told residents a single data center could cover more than 60 percent of the borough budget, and the overflow crowd reacted with anger, accusing council of having decided in advance Resilience / CASSE
  • 2025-12-23A Lackawanna County deed records the sale of the site to US Gravity Purchaser LLC, which is associated with Corscale's investment partner Affinius Capital. WVIA
  • 2026-01-06More than 100 people attend a state public meeting at Valley View High School on the project's wetland and stream permit, where the developer's attorney says there is no tenant yet. WVIA
  • 2026-02-17The conservation district issues a technical deficiency letter on the project's stormwater and erosion control permit, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers. Stop Archbald Data Centers
  • 2026-03-27Council votes 5 to 0 against the conditional use application for Archbald I LLC and Project Scott, after three council members including the council president resigned amid mounting pressure Resilience / CASSE
  • 2026-05-01Project Gravity ejected from PA Permit Fast Track PA Office of the Governor
  • 2026-05-14About 400 residents attend the public meeting on the Wildcat Ridge campus, one of six data center campuses proposed in the borough by five developers, together covering roughly 14 percent of Archbald Scranton Times-Tribune
  • 2026-08-03Council adopts Ordinance 01-2026 amending the subdivision and land development ordinance, following its April vote to make the Planning Commission an advisory body. Archbald Borough
  • 2026-08-18Shapiro's GRID executive order removes all data center projects from the PA Permit Fast Track program and bars developer nondisclosure agreements. WVIA
  • 2026-08-19The borough manager reports Project Gravity must make stormwater improvements along Jermyn Road and get a PennDOT highway occupancy permit, with the borough as applicant and the developer as its agent. Archbald Borough
  • 2026-09Final land development plans filed: seven data centers and 430 MW of batteries on 181 acres, nearest buildings about 282 feet from homes The Times-Tribune
  • 2026-09-22At a Luzerne County Community College workforce panel, Corscale says it will file final land development plans imminently and confirms it has owned the land since late 2025. WVIA
  • 2026-10-15WVIA reports on Corscale's public open house at the Archbald Borough Building, where it described a 475 megawatt campus with a 430 megawatt battery system and an unnamed hyperscale tenant. WVIA
News

Coverage of this project

Sources

Know your rights

In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.

Know your rights →

Take action

Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.

How communities push back →