ARCHBALD — The fate of Lackawanna County’s most contentious data center campus is now in the hands of Archbald Borough Council.
Arguments concluded Wednesday night after more than seven months, nine hearings, 20-plus hours of testimony and widespread public opposition to the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus.
Archbald’s seven council members now have 45 days to decide whether to approve Brooklyn-based Cornell Realty Management LLC’s application for more than 2.8 million square feet of data centers across 574-plus mountainside acres above Eynon and Sturges.
Attorneys for the data center developer attempted to force the removal of the seven council members last month by filing motions alleging that everyone on council is biased against their project, or at least appears biased. The allegations cited comments made during hearings, social media activity and remarks predating some members’ time in office.
The borough denied six of the recusal motions Wednesday before moving into the final stages of the hearing. At the start of the meeting, Solicitor Jay O’Connor announced that the six council members in attendance refused to recuse themselves, contending they can decide on the application fairly and impartially. In conjunction with their refusals to remove themselves from the proceedings, the six council members submitted affidavits signed Wednesday affirming their impartiality. Council Vice President Joseph Altier III and council members Larry Marchetti, Madonna Munley, Lisa Osborne, Erin Owen and Larry West all signed the affidavits. The only missing affidavit is council President Louis Rapoch, who O’Connor said was out of town.
Rapoch confirmed in a text Wednesday night that he plans to sign his own affidavit.
Archbald councilmembers listen to a borough resident speak during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbald councilmembers listen to borough residents speak during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
People listen to the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbald councilwoman Lisa Osborne listens to data center attorneys speak during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbald resident Amy Gaughan speaks during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Jermyn resident John Kura speaks during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Archbald resident Amy Swingle speaks during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Attorney Lucas Liben looks on during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Attorney Edmund Campbell speaks during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Archbald councilmembers listen to a borough resident speak during the hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at Valley View High School in Archbald Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Wednesday’s meeting concluded a hearing process that formally began when Cornell Realty Management submitted a 777-page conditional use application Dec. 15, signed by managing partner Isaac Hager. The document revealed the data center campus’s massive water and electricity demands, requesting to use just over 3.3 million gallons of water per day during the hottest summer weather while requiring 1.6 gigawatts — more electricity than Lackawanna County’s largest power plant can produce. To power its data centers during an outage, the campus would rely on 588 bus-sized diesel generators, sustained by nearly 1.2 million gallons of diesel fuel stored onsite.
Officials with Wildcat Ridge approached Archbald council during a January 2025 work session touting a $2.1 billion investment. Over the last year, it has emerged as a controversial project due to its size, location and utility demands.
The data center campus would consist of 14 two-story, 80-foot tall data centers, each with a 202,340-square-foot footprint, making it the largest proposed in the county based on total building size. The data centers would line the mountainside above Eynon and Sturges, following Business Route 6 and extending more than half a mile up Route 247, or Wildcat Road.
The undeveloped mountainside is zoned for residential and conservation uses, but a previous council majority adopted a zoning ordinance last year conditionally allowing data centers in an overlay district on the mountain. The decision received major pushback from residents, who urged council at the time to restrict developments to industrial land east of the Casey Highway.
While the ordinance enacted standards for data centers that gave the borough additional control and protections, it conditionally permitted the developments in overlay districts throughout the borough, including along Eynon Jermyn Road near Archbald’s Staback Park and the Archbald Pothole State Park. All four council members who voted in favor of the legislation have since left office, with former President Dave Moran, Vice President Richard Guman and Councilwoman Marie Cooke Andreoli resigning in April after more than 800 residents signed a petition calling for the removal of borough officials who worked with data center developers — including Wildcat Ridge representatives — to craft the town’s data center zoning ordinance. Former Councilman Francis Burke lost his bid for reelection last year.
With about 350 people filling the Valley View High School auditorium, Wednesday’s hearing encompassed the final six speakers to conclude public comment, followed by closing arguments from Wildcat Ridge attorney Edmund J. Campbell Jr., Stop Archbald Data Centers co-founder Tamara Misewicz-Healey and attorney Justin Richards, who represents Stop Archbald Data Centers members challenging Archbald’s data center zoning.
Council will announce the date when they will vote on the application, and they will issue a written decision within 45 days, O’Connor said.
Check back for updates.