Exploring Archbald’s rationale for denying Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus
Archbald Borough Council unanimously denied Cornell Realty Management’s proposal for the nearly 5.7-million-square-foot Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus. The decision cited inadequate evidence on traffic, noise, generator emissions, diesel storage, public health and safety, and emergency access, while opponents said their concerns were validated.
Archbald Borough Council unanimously rejected Cornell Realty Management’s proposal to build 14 data centers on 574.2 acres above Eynon and Sturges. In a 24-page written decision, the borough said the applicant failed to demonstrate that the project would protect neighboring properties, public health and safety, traffic conditions, and emergency response capabilities as required by local zoning rules.
The decision questioned testimony and studies concerning traffic, noise, air emissions from as many as 588 backup diesel generators, diesel fuel storage, and fire access. Stop Archbald Data Centers co-founder Tamara Misewicz-Healey and attorney Justin Richards supported the denial, while Cornell Realty Management has 30 days to appeal to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. The borough also cited a public health assessment commissioned by opponents, and Lackawanna County separately hired the same firm for a countywide study of data center and power plant impacts.