Data center developer plans litigation against Archbald, asks Lackawanna County commissioner to keep information
Archbald Borough Council unanimously denied Cornell Realty Management’s zoning application for a 14-building Wildcat Ridge Data Center campus. The developer’s attorneys at Reed Smith have warned of imminent litigation and asked officials, including Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, to preserve records related to the project.
Archbald Borough Council unanimously rejected Cornell Realty Management’s application to build a 14-building data center campus on more than 500 acres after nine public hearings involving expert testimony from the developer and opponents. The decision followed months of community scrutiny and opposition to the Wildcat Ridge project.
Reed Smith attorney Jordan Siev sent a litigation-preservation notice to Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, members of the Valley View School Board and borough council, saying litigation against Archbald and individual council members was reasonably foreseeable. Gaughan, who was not involved in the zoning decision but has publicly opposed data center development, said the notice was directed to the wrong person and characterized it as an attempt to intimidate opponents.