Archbald Borough, Lackawanna County
Project North is the smaller of Archbald I LLC's two Archbald campuses, with three or four data center buildings planned on about 66 wooded acres at the Jermyn border under the borough's 2023 zoning.
Hyland Engineering drew a concept plan on October 8, 2025, and Archbald I LLC filed its zoning permit application on October 22, 2025, the same day it filed for Project Scott. Data Center Dynamics reported the two filings totaled 22 buildings, including four on this 66-acre site. On November 24, 2025, the same day council passed the overlay district, the borough's zoning review said a permit couldn't be issued until the developer supplied missing details on steep slopes, wetlands, noise, vibration, lighting and stormwater. The preliminary land development application followed on January 23, 2026. Planning Commission minutes list the project with no action in May 2026 and as incomplete in June 2026.
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 PALackawanna 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 PAPlans allow buildings up to 70 feet tall as close as 40 feet from the front property line, on land between Jermyn's residential zones and Archbald's R-2 and R-3 districts, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Stop Archbald Data CentersThe main access road would run off Lackawanna Street in Jermyn, sending construction equipment and daily traffic through a residential neighborhood, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Stop Archbald Data CentersA 350 by 400 foot high-voltage substation and a 74,970 square foot generator yard that could hold close to 30 diesel generators would sit next to homes, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Stop Archbald Data CentersPennsylvania American Water's intent-to-serve letter for the site gives no figure for cooling demand, so how much water the campus would draw is unknown, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Stop Archbald Data CentersLeaders: Tamara Misewicz-Healey and Justin Healey (co-founders)
Tactics: Packs every council meeting, Planning Commission meeting and conditional use hearing; hired attorney Justin Richards and outside experts on public health and noise; filed the court appeal of the borough's data center overlay ordinance; sells yard signs and t-shirts to fund legal costs; holds public forums and bus tours.
FOX56 reported about 7,900 Facebook group members in April 2026, and Resilience reported about 12,000 by June 2026. The group's website tracks each Archbald project, hearing dates and court dockets, and its GoFundMe raises money for legal expenses.
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 →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 →