{"id":137089,"date":"2026-03-13T06:14:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T06:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/137089\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T06:14:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T06:14:26","slug":"wildcat-ridge-data-center-campus-faces-major-opposition-in-archbald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/137089\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus faces major opposition in Archbald"},"content":{"rendered":"

ARCHBALD \u2014 A raucous crowd drowned out testimony from data center representatives Tuesday night, vocalizing their opposition to more than a dozen data centers along Business Route 6 and Route 247.\n<\/p>\n

The borough held its second public hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus as representatives for the project touted new technologies and financial incentives to make the case for developing one of Northeast Pennsylvania\u2019s largest data center campuses above Archbald\u2019s Eynon and Sturges sections.<\/p>\n

Their pitch faced a hostile reception from 400-plus vociferous community members packing the Valley View High School auditorium. Many of those in attendance wore bright yellow T-shirts with \u201cStop Data Centers Protect NEPA\u201d on the front and \u201cArchbald residents for responsible zoning\u201d printed across the back in large black lettering. Some held up matching yellow-and-black \u201cNO DATA CENTERS\u201d signs throughout the night.\n<\/p>\n

Shouts of \u201cGo home!\u201d and other jeers from the animated crowd prompted borough officials to step in multiple times to regain order, with council President Dave Moran at one point threatening to postpone the meeting due to the interruptions.<\/p>\n

\"Archbald<\/p>\n

Archbald resident David Polansky hands out \u201cNO DATA CENTER\u201d signs outside the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Polansky said he was handing out his third batch of 500 signs.
\n(FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Archbald<\/p>\n

Archbald resident David Polansky hands out \u201cNO DATA CENTER\u201d signs outside the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Polansky said he was handing out his third batch of 500 signs. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 2<\/p>\n

Archbald resident David Polansky hands out \u201cNO DATA CENTER\u201d signs outside the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Polansky said he was handing out his third batch of 500 signs.
\n(FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Brooklyn-based Cornell Realty Management LLC seeks approval from borough council to build 14 two-story data centers, each up to 80 feet tall with a 202,340-square-foot footprint, across 574.2 mountainside acres on Business Route 6 and extending up Route 247, or Wildcat Road. Cornell Realty Management also proposes to build 316,000 square feet of commercial space, though to the chagrin of some council members, officials from Cornell noted that while they are actively looking to develop it, the commercial space is not mandatory.<\/p>\n

Wildcat Ridge became Lackawanna County\u2019s first data center campus proposal in January 2025. Just over one year later, it is one of six campuses proposed in Archbald and one of at least 12 proposed throughout the county, including in Clifton and Covington townships, Dickson City, Jessup, Olyphant and Ransom Twp.\n<\/p>\n

Archbald held its initial public hearing<\/a> for the project on Jan. 28 but adjourned after about two hours.\n<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, an even larger crowd turned out for the second, four-hour-long hearing, where two witnesses testifying on behalf of Wildcat Ridge discussed the project\u2019s water and electricity needs, cooling technologies, backup generators, emergency plans, job creation and tax revenue. They faced scrutiny from an attorney and residents during cross examination.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"ResidentsResidents filled the Valley View High School auditorium in Archbald for a public hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Concerns about the project extended beyond the crowd, with council members also pressing the developer.<\/p>\n

In an attempt to calm the crowd at one point, Councilman Louis Rapoch emphasized the borough has to allow data centers under state law.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know you don\u2019t want it. We probably don\u2019t want it, but we have to listen to that,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is something that we have to allow one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CouncilmanCouncilman Louis Rapoch, right, speaks during a public hearing at the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

When Archbald Borough Council voted in November to amend its zoning to regulate data centers, it created multiple \u201cdata center overlay\u201d districts \u2014 including the proposed site of Wildcat Ridge \u2014 that permit data centers as conditional uses, meaning council must approve each individual project following a public hearing while requiring developers adhere to a slew of conditions established in the legislation.<\/p>\n

Sustaining 14 data centers<\/p>\n

While data center campuses face widespread opposition throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, Wildcat Ridge has been especially controversial due to its water and electricity needs, which it documented in a 777-page conditional use application submitted to Archbald on Dec. 15.\n<\/p>\n

The campus seeks to use just over 3.3 million gallons of water per day during the hottest summer weather while requiring 1,600 megawatts, or 1.6 gigawatts, of power to operate.
\n\"AA woman holds up a \u201cNO DATA CENTERS\u201d sign during a public hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus at the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Data center consultant and adviser Ben Mitten testified Tuesday that they designed an \u201cadiabatic cooling system\u201d for the campus that would use both air and water to cool the computer hardware inside the data centers. Rather than implement an open-loop system that relies on evaporating water, which would use an estimated 21 million gallons per day, Wildcat Ridge\u2019s adiabatic system would be a closed-loop system with air-cooled chillers that would then use water during peak summer months, according to Mitten. The project is also exploring tapping water from the mines below, though that unprecedented method would require significant permitting and studies.<\/p>\n

Mitten is the founder and CEO of Nuclei Data<\/a>, which offers \u201cfully integrated development services for data centers and energy infrastructure,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n

Through testimony guided by questions from project Attorney Edmund J. Campbell Jr., Mitten said the data centers could function without using water in the event of a drought or other water disruption, though the adiabatic system would need to use more power.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can work completely without the use of water if required,\u201d Mitten said.<\/p>\n

\"CornellCornell Realty Management Attorney Edmund J. Campbell Jr., left, looks on as data center consultant Ben Mitten speaks during a public hearing on the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at the Valley View High School in Archbald. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

The system would initially need several million gallons of water, but they could truck it in via tankers rather than using the domestic water system, he said.<\/p>\n

To ensure reliability during power outages, Mitten testified each data center would have as many as 41 backup generators, totaling 574 diesel generators across 14 buildings. Each 3-megawatt generator would have its own 2,000-gallon diesel fuel tank, Mitten said, explaining they need the capacity to run 24 hours. That translates to 1,148,000 gallons of diesel fuel stored on site across 574 2,000-gallon tanks.\n<\/p>\n

Councilman Tom Aniska, who joined council this year after winning a seat in November, pointed out 574 generators would equal 1,722 megawatts.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cInvenergy in Jessup produces 1,485 megawatts of energy \u2026 so on that property, not an industrial property, you\u2019re going to bring in more megawatts of power than is produced by the Jessup Invenergy plant?\u201d Aniska asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a possibility,\u201d Mitten replied.<\/p>\n

\"CouncilmanCouncilman Tom Aniska, left, speaks during a public hearing at the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.(FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

However, the 41 generators per building are a \u201cworst-case condition\u201d in case the end-user is something like a hospital system, critical infrastructure component or social media platform, Mitten said. New data center designs are drastically reducing the need for on-site generation, eliminating 80% to 90% of generators because of the power reliability that the electric utility can bring to the property, he said.<\/p>\n

Each generator would need to run four hours every three months for maintenance, and Mitten said he traditionally sees one 24-hour power outage per year requiring the use of backup generators, though it depends on the weather. Campbell told council his client would accept borough approval of the testing schedule as a condition to their land development.\n<\/p>\n

Questioning the developer<\/p>\n

As conditions for approval, Archbald\u2019s data center zoning requires \u201cwill-serve\u201d letters from utility companies showing they have the capacity to serve a data center, and if a project uses nonpublic sources of water, like mine water, it requires a water feasibility study.<\/p>\n

During cross-examination of Mitten, attorney Justin Richards, who represents a group of borough residents challenging Archbald\u2019s data center zoning, pointed out the lack of a water feasibility study, \u201cwhich would render the application incomplete or premature\u201d if it moves forward with that plan, he said, eliciting loud applause from the crowd. Richards also cited the project\u2019s letter of authorization with PPL Electric Utilities, pointing out it was sent from Cornell Realty to PPL, despite Archbald\u2019s ordinance mandating that applicants must submit a letter from PPL.<\/p>\n

Mitten said PPL does not issue letters of authorization.<\/p>\n

\"AttorneyAttorney Justin Richards, who represents a group of borough residents opposing data centers, cross-examines witnesses from the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus during a public hearing at the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Aniska also asked about an apparent missed deadline, with PPL requiring a letter signed by June 20, but the application showing it was dated July 7.\n<\/p>\n

Campbell responded they will supplement the record and confirm it\u2019s in place; they wouldn\u2019t be there if it wasn\u2019t still valid, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are asking us to make decisions based on information that is just not here,\u201d Aniska replied, telling the developer, \u201cYou weren\u2019t very well prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking at words like \u2018is expected,\u2019 \u2018we expect,\u2019\u201d Aniska continued. \u201cI can\u2019t work on \u2018we expect.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Resident Tamara Misewicz-Healey questioned Mitten about false alarms that could strain the borough\u2019s volunteer Fire Department, testing schedules for the generators and emissions from nearly 600 diesel generators.<\/p>\n

Misewicz-Healey, who founded the 5,000-member Stop Archbald Data Centers<\/a> Facebook group with her husband, Justin, also raised concerns about the amount of diesel fuel stored on site.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just looked up how much a very busy truck stop carries, and it\u2019s around 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel,\u201d she said. \u201cThis facility is looking at over a million \u2014 that\u2019s 11 times the amount of fuel on top of a coal mountain. Are you familiar with Centralia, Pennsylvania?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ArchbaldArchbald council members look on as Archbald resident Tamara Misewicz-Healey cross-examines representatives from the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus during a public hearing at the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Centralia is a Columbia County town that was almost entirely abandoned by residents due to a long-burning, underground coal fire.<\/p>\n

As the project\u2019s second witness on Tuesday, planning consultant Thomas Shepstone of Honesdale-based Shepstone Management Company presented a slideshow overview of a community impact analysis he compiled on Wildcat Ridge that estimated it would create 1,280 jobs while generating annual net revenues of about $7 million for Archbald, $15.2 million for Lackawanna County and nearly $21.9 million for the Valley View School District.\n<\/p>\n

Shepstone, who recently worked with Dickson City<\/a> to develop zoning standards that prohibited data centers on the same mountainside about 2.5 miles southwest of Wildcat Ridge, concluded the campus would not have a negative impact on the character of surrounding residential neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe it\u2019s a good location for this,\u201d he said, prompting shouts from the crowd.<\/p>\n

\"PlanningPlanning consultant Thomas Shepstone testifies on behalf of the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus during a public hearing at the Valley View High School in Archbald on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

In Dickson City, as the borough\u2019s planner, Shepstone defended the decision during a Feb. 13 hearing not to allow data centers on the mountain above Business Route 6, saying, \u201cIt may not please some of the developers, but it\u2019s something we feel is going to accomplish the objectives of the borough council, which are to protect the interests of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

During cross-examination, Richards questioned Shepstone\u2019s sourcing in his analysis, pointing out that while his presentation on Tuesday provided a list of 15 sources, his 22-page analysis attached to the conditional use application did not have that list.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought about it afterwards,\u201d Shepstone said. \u201cWe thought it\u2019d be a good idea to provide it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richards further questioned a five-page slideshow about data centers in Stafford County, Virginia, and an artificial intelligence search engine, Perplexity, that Shepstone cited as the basis for his employment projections, which estimated 688 data center jobs, plus an additional 593 office and retail jobs, including 255 \u201coffice building\u201d roles with an annual salary of $90,000.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have confirmed here tonight that some of this data is based on this high school-style PowerPoint presentation that this borough council is supposed to rely upon to believe that this is reliable data for income that should be coming to the borough of Archbald, the county of Lackawanna and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,\u201d Richards said.<\/p>\n

Shepstone stood by his figures.<\/p>\n

As the hearing progressed, Rapoch, who began his first term on council in January, delivered one of the hearing\u2019s sharpest criticisms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou people came in here like this is the Garden of Eden,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you are the devil tempting us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next Wildcat Ridge hearing will be April 13 at 5 p.m. in the Valley View High School auditorium, 1 Columbus Drive, Archbald.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ARCHBALD \u2014 A raucous crowd drowned out testimony from data center representatives Tuesday night, vocalizing their opposition to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2117,2116,201,182,139,28,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-137089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-archbald","tag-data-centers","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}