Pennsylvania Town Votes Buzzer-Beater ‘No’ on Data Center Mega-Project

Archbald Borough Council in Pennsylvania has denied a proposal from Texas-based Provident Realty Advisors to build a massive data center complex, Archbald 1 LLC, consisting of 18 buildings. The decision followed months of intense public opposition from local residents concerned about potential impacts on the town's power grid, water resources, wildlife habitats, property values, and noise, air, and light pollution. Approximately 200 residents, many wearing yellow shirts, attended a special March 27 meeting where council members voted on the project. The meeting was hastily convened due to a legal deadline, as Provident Realty Advisors declined to reschedule an earlier public hearing that was canceled due to a newspaper error. Under Pennsylvania state law, the application would have been automatically approved if a vote had not occurred by the deadline. During the meeting, residents, including Janessa Bednash, questioned the developer's lack of willingness to reschedule the hearing. Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, who has advocated for a statewide moratorium on new data center approvals, also spoke, asking if the project was "development or exploitation." The vote to deny the project was met with applause from the community, marking a significant victory for local activists, some of whom had previously petitioned for local officials to resign over earlier zoning amendments that facilitated data center development. Provident Realty Advisors has not yet indicated whether they will appeal the borough's decision or pursue a previous application.