Data center brings lots of unknowns to one community

Yahoo

17-05-2025

ARCHIBALD, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— We begin with talks of more data centers popping up in our local area.
Data center development has been a topic of debate nationwide. Large buildings where huge amounts of data is stored for large tech and AI operations.
28/22's Avery Nape spoke with residents near the proposed site to see how they're feeling about the potential development.
Residents of 'The Highlands at Archibald' community may have a new neighbor, a data center, and they have a lot of questions.
'I don't even know what they are, okay? That's the one thing that worries me, I don't even know exactly what they do,' expressed Jacque Petherick, Archibald.
Jacque Petherick has been living in 'The Highlands at Archibald' community for the last 10 years.
He says while he's heard talk about proposed data centers, he and many of his neighbors don't fully understand its function.
'I wish we knew more about it, I wish our borough officials would let us know more about it,' stated Petherick.
Developers are calling the project the 'Archibald Data and Energy Center'.
The proposed project includes a roughly 86 acre campus, consisting of three, two- story buildings that are each about 300,000 square feet.
The campus would be built on what is currently a salvage yard just off of Eynon Jermyn Road.
There is a 200 foot buffer between the property and Petherick's neighborhood, something the potential developers have also included in their plans.
Petherick says the buffer has allowed the scrapyard to go unnoticed. He just hopes the same can be said about their potential new neighbors.
'If they come and they give us a decent tax base and don't provide us with any noise and pollution or light pollution, then they could be good neighbors too,' voiced Petherick.
Archibald's borough manager, Daniel Markey, says the proposed data center is one of two permit applications they've received in recent months.
He says, right now, the decision to approve or deny them is up to the zoning board. He also says they don't plan to rush into anything without first ensuring the wellbeing of the community.
Some data centers in the U.S. have caused concern over noise, the environmental footprint, high energy consumption and high water usage to prevent overheating.
'We want to take the time to hear every concern and try to make sure that the concerns that other people had around the united states won't happen here in Archibald,' added Markey.
Markey tells me that 'data centers' are not clearly defined under borough ordinances. They are currently in the process of adding an amendment to require a public hearing for all future data center development.
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