Full story: Archbald council unanimously denies Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus
Archbald Borough Council unanimously denied Cornell Realty Management’s conditional-use application for the 14-building Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus in Archbald. The proposal faced sustained community opposition over its potential water and electricity consumption, diesel-generator emissions and broader health and environmental impacts, and the developer may appeal the decision.
Archbald Borough Council unanimously rejected Cornell Realty Management’s conditional-use application to build 14 data centers on a 574-acre mountainside site above the borough’s Eynon and Sturges sections. The decision followed nine public hearings and roughly 26 hours of testimony on the $2.1 billion Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus, which would have included 588 backup diesel generators and required about 1.6 gigawatts of electricity and more than 3.3 million gallons of water daily during summer.
Residents, local officials and the Stop Archbald Data Centers movement urged the council to deny the project, citing health, environmental, infrastructure and community concerns. County Commissioner Bill Gaughan and residents including Meg Nudelman, Tamara Misewicz-Healey and Justin Healey argued that the developer had not provided sufficient evidence that the project would satisfy local requirements. Wildcat Ridge attorney Edmund J. Campbell Jr. said the application met Archbald’s zoning standards and asked for approval, but council members voted unanimously to deny it. The decision could be appealed to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas.