Valley View challenges Project Scott, Project Gravity data center campuses
The Valley View School District has formally joined residents in a legal challenge against Archbald's data center zoning regulations and two major data center campuses, Project Scott and Project Gravity, citing their dangerous proximity to schools. The district filed petitions in court and sent a letter to Archbald Council, opposing the projects and the validity of their current zoning designations. These actions include challenging a developer's claim of automatic approval for Project Scott and contesting Project Gravity's principal permitted use status.
The Valley View School District has officially entered the ongoing dispute against data center developments in Archbald, Pennsylvania, citing concerns over projects located "dangerously close" to its schools. Following a board of education vote, the district's solicitor formalized this opposition by filing two petitions in the Lackawanna County Court of Commons Pleas and sending a letter to Archbald Council President Louis Rapoch.
The district is specifically challenging the 18-data-center Project Scott and the seven-data-center Project Gravity, both located near Valley View schools. These actions coincide with a land-use appeal filed by local residents who are challenging the validity of Archbald's controversial data center zoning regulations, which were adopted in November. The district also plans to file its own land-use appeal against Project Scott, disputing developer Archbald I LLC's contention that its 400-acre campus should be automatically approved due to a procedural issue regarding public hearing deadlines.
Valley View's legal filings argue that the district, responsible for 2,400 students and staff, has legally enforceable interests in school operations, student safety, traffic, noise levels, water and sewer capacity, electrical reliability, and air and water quality. Attorneys highlight anticipated impacts from industrial-scale electrical loads, substations, low-frequency noise, diesel backup generators, high-volume water demand, and increased truck traffic affecting school routes and emergency access. For Project Gravity, the district is asking the Archbald Council to reject its current principal permitted use designation and instead schedule a conditional use hearing, arguing that the developer, Archbald 25 Developer LLC, does not have vested rights under the original, more permissive zoning ordinance.
This legal and political battle underscores widespread community opposition to the concentration of data centers in Archbald, particularly along Eynon Jermyn Road, where 30 of the 51 proposed data centers in the borough are located near schools, Staback Park, and residential areas.