Residents call data center pamphlet 'propaganda' | 28/22 News
News Clip1:452822news·Archbald, Lackawanna County, PA·4/14/2026
Residents in Archbald, Pennsylvania, are actively opposing a large data center proposal, with a recent contentious public hearing focusing on traffic impacts and a controversial developer-distributed pamphlet. The conditional use application for the "Wildcat Ridge site" project remains pending as a fourth hearing is scheduled.
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Data center development meetings have become a frequent occurrence in Northeastern Pennsylvania, particularly in Lackawanna County. In the borough of Archbald, residents recently demonstrated strong opposition to a proposed data center project during a public hearing, in a visible act of defiance against the developer.
The latest controversy centered on pamphlets distributed by the developer to mailboxes throughout the borough, which residents labeled as "propaganda." During the third hearing for the "Wildcat Ridge site" — a proposal for 14 buildings on nearly 600 acres above Route 247 — engineers and an attorney representing the developer faced questioning. While traffic impacts were a key concern, residents' anger primarily stemmed from the informational pamphlets. One resident articulated that the pamphlet reduced "our area, our homes, our lives, and our future into a transaction," questioning the veracity of its presented "myths and facts."
The project's conditional use application is currently in limbo, with a fourth hearing scheduled for Thursday, May 14th, at 5:00 p.m. Avery Nape of 28/22 News reported on the ongoing situation in Archbald.