Archbald Borough, Lackawanna County
Archbald I LLC, tied to Dallas-based Provident, wants an 18-building data center campus on about 410 acres beside Ed Staback Memorial Park; council denied its conditional use request in March 2026, the developer is appealing, and a parallel plan under the old zoning has preliminary approval.
Archbald I LLC filed zoning permit applications on October 22, 2025 for 22 buildings on two sites under the 2023 zoning. Council passed the data center overlay on November 24, 2025, and on December 16, 2025 the borough received Archbald I's separate conditional use application for an 18-building campus in the overlay. The first hearing was February 11, 2026. Council changed its leadership on March 18, 2026, and after a March 23 hearing was canceled because the legal notice didn't run, council denied the application 5 to 0 on March 27, 2026. Three council members, including former president Dave Moran, resigned in April 2026. Archbald I appealed and published a deemed approval notice on April 24, 2026. The Planning Commission granted preliminary land development approval to the by-right Project Scott plan on May 6, 2026, and in July 2026 a county judge rejected Archbald I's bid to throw out residents' challenge to the overlay ordinance.
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 PAThe by-right Project Scott plan lists water use of up to 884,000 gallons a day at peak and about 255,000 gallons on an average day, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers' review of the application and Pennsylvania American Water's service letter.
Stop Archbald Data CentersThe by-right plan places structures as close as 40 feet from the youth soccer fields at Ed Staback Memorial Park, within about 200 yards of the Highlands development and about a quarter mile from Valley View Intermediate School, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Stop Archbald Data CentersA November 2025 traffic memo for the conditional use plan projected 2,068 more vehicle trips every weekday at full build-out, with entrances on the Scranton Carbondale Highway and Eynon Jermyn Road, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Stop Archbald Data CentersResidents' court challenge says the overlay ordinance used by the conditional use plan lets backup generators exceed local noise limits during outages, emergencies and routine daytime testing; a borough noise expert admitted in court there was no scientific basis for those exemptions.
WILK Newsradio (Audacy)Leaders: 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.
Tactics: Spoke against the data center overlay at the November 24, 2025 council vote, arguing the amendment was dictated by landowners and developers.
Named by WVIA in its coverage of the overlay vote. No other details were found.
Appeal of the 5-0 conditional-use denial of Project Scott (Mar 27 2026). The December 23, 2025 appeal was filed by Archbald residents against the borough's data center overlay ordinance (docket 2025-CV-10325). It is a separate case from the developer's April 24, 2026 appeal, and Archbald I LLC has opposed it.
Archbald I LLC vs Archbald Borough · PendingResidents challenge Archbald I LLC's claim that its conditional use application was deemed approved under the Municipalities Planning Code even though council issued a written denial. The Lackawanna County Housing Authority has sought to intervene, and a hearing on that request was set for September 1, 2026, according to Stop Archbald Data Centers.
Objecting Archbald residents vs. Archbald I LLC · PendingResidents seek to throw out Ordinance 04-2025, the November 2025 data center overlay, arguing it allows data centers in too many places without enough protections, including exemptions that let backup generators exceed noise limits. Judge Mark Powell ruled the residents have standing even though they live 1,600 to 5,200 feet from the overlay districts. A hearing on the school district's and housing authority's requests to intervene was set for September 3, 2026 before President Judge James A. Gibbons.
Eight Archbald residents vs. Archbald Borough; Archbald I LLC moved to dismiss; the Valley View School District and Lackawanna County Housing Authority asked to intervene on the residents' side · Pending. The developer's motion to dismiss for lack of standing was denied in July 2026.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 →