The AI boom has plunged a small Pennsylvania town into chaos

The Pennsylvania town of Archbald is facing significant community upheaval due to the rapid development of six data center campuses planned by five developers, which will encompass 14 percent of the municipality. Local residents have formed the "Stop Archbald Data Centers" Facebook group and voiced strong opposition at public meetings, expressing concerns over increased noise, pollution, environmental degradation, and the strain on electricity grids. A major point of contention is the eviction of residents from Valley View Estates, a trailer park whose land was sold for data center development. Many of these residents are disabled or low-income and face an impossible situation in finding new affordable housing. Local government officials, including the Archbald Borough Council and Borough Manager Dan Markey, have been criticized for their unresponsiveness and perceived lack of action. While residents pushed for stricter zoning to confine data centers to industrial areas, an updated zoning ordinance passed last November still permits facilities adjacent to residential neighborhoods, allowing developers to proceed. The data centers are attracted to the area by the Susquehanna-Roseland powerline, but their energy demands are contributing to rising electricity rates for consumers from PPL Electric Utilities, even as data centers receive rate cuts. Local businessmen such as Louis DeNaples (a powerful landowner with alleged organized crime ties), Jim Marzolino of Kriger Construction, Anthony Domiano Jr., and Alpesh "Al" Patel of Al's Quick Stop are involved in land transactions and development plans, raising questions about influence and transparency among the community.