A data center developer will attend zoning hearings in two Midvalley communities this week, arguing to overturn Dickson City’s data center zoning on Wednesday before seeking approval for a 400-megawatt natural gas power plant in Archbald on Thursday.

Dickson City Development LLC, a firm affiliated with Kriger Construction Inc. looking to develop four data centers across Bell Mountain, will go before the Dickson City Zoning Hearing Board for a hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday to challenge the borough’s data center zoning ordinance, according to a public notice published May 13 in The Times-Tribune.

The following day, Essential Energy LLC, another company tied to Kriger Construction’s president, Jim Marzolino, and its vice president, David Stiles, both of whom signed applications for the project, will go before Archbald Borough Council at 5 p.m. Thursday for the second conditional use hearing on plans to build a natural gas power plant on Eynon Jermyn Road. The power plant would be across the street from Marzolino’s proposed Project Boson — a 620,000-square-foot data center at the site of the former Highway Auto Parts junkyard. Archbald announced the hearing date at the conclusion of its previous Essential Energy hearing on April 27.

Dickson City will hold its hearing at its Borough Building, 901 Enterprise St.; Archbald will hold its hearing at the Valley View High School auditorium, 1 Columbus Drive, Archbald.

Dickson City

Dickson City Development is challenging Dickson City’s data center zoning both in court and with the borough’s zoning hearing board.

Borough council unanimously voted Feb. 12 to adopt zoning regulations for data centers. The legislation defined, regulated and restricted data centers and accessory uses as special exceptions in the borough’s light manufacturing district, requiring any proposal to receive approval from the zoning hearing board. The ordinance established standards governing data center development in the borough while limiting them to Enterprise Street near Eagle Lane and undeveloped land southeast of Railroad Street. It does not permit them on Bell Mountain.

Dickson City Development filed a land use appeal on March 13 in the Lackawanna County Court of Commons Pleas looking to annul Dickson City’s adoption of the zoning ordinance, arguing it was exclusionary to data centers, among other contentions.

Taking those arguments to the zoning hearing board, Dickson City Development’s appeal challenges the “enactment and/or validity” of the borough’s zoning ordinance, according to the May 13 public notice in The Times-Tribune.

Dickson City Development uses the address 99 Power Blvd., Archbald, in its land use appeal, which corresponds with Kriger Construction and its NEPA Concrete & Asphalt plant.

Dickson City Development is also actively appealing Dickson City’s denial of its applications to build four data centers across Bell Mountain above Business Route 6. Another firm tied to Kriger Construction, Dickson City Power, also applied with Dickson City for approval to develop at least three power plants on the same mountainside near the data centers.

The appeal for the data centers is ongoing following an initial hearing April 29, with the next hearing scheduled for May 27 at 5 p.m., according to the May 13 public notice.

The Dickson City Zoning Hearing Board will then consider applications for the power plants June 4 at 6 p.m.

Archbald

Representatives for Essential Energy will return to Archbald on Thursday, continuing an April 27 conditional use hearing on the project, which faced significant scrutiny during its initial hearing.

Questions posed to the developer last month frequently referenced a lack of information and studies that opponents contend is required in the conditional use process.

The site would consist of two turbines, each contained in 40,000-plus-square-foot facilities, a nearly 38,000-square-foot control building, a 29,000-square-foot underground containment facility for contaminated water, exhaust stacks, stormwater management facilities and related infrastructure. The buildings would be up to 55 feet tall, though the exhaust stacks could be higher.

Representatives for the power plant did not provide emissions estimates for the facility, contending they would be calculated at a later phase of the project — not during the conditional use process. Though they did not provide estimates, the representatives assured the borough they would meet their air permit requirements.

Essential Energy will present at least one more witness on Thursday, and residents will have the opportunity to testify before Archbald Borough Council takes action.

Monday Update

THEN: Limited liability companies linked to one developer applied to build a large data center in Archbald with a 400-megawatt natural gas power plant across the street, along with four data centers and three power plants in Dickson City.

NOW: The developer will attend a hearing in Dickson City on Wednesday to challenge the validity of the borough’s data center zoning, followed by its second hearing in Archbald on its power plant.