Residents Fight Data Center Zoning, Win Key Legal Battle

Residents in Archbald have successfully obtained legal standing to challenge the town's data center zoning ordinance. A Lackawanna County judge ruled on Friday that these residents can contest the ordinance's validity, even though they reside more than 600 feet from any proposed data center locations. This ruling denied a motion by the developer of Project Scott, which had argued the residents lacked sufficient proximity to have legal standing.

The decision mirrors a recent court win for residents in another part of the county, where a judge found a Scranton woman had standing to oppose a data center planned nearly two-thirds of a mile from her home. This suggests that the broader impacts of data centers are being recognized by the courts.

Eight Archbald residents filed a land use appeal in December 2025, seeking to invalidate the data center zoning amendment due to alleged procedural flaws. Developers for Project Scott, Project North, Project Green Mountain, and the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus intervened to support Archbald's ordinance. The Valley View School District and Lackawanna County Housing Authority also sought to intervene on the residents' side, though their standing is subject to a hearing scheduled for September 3, 2026.

Judge Mark Powell disagreed with the developers' argument for dismissal, stating Pennsylvania law does not impose rigid geographical limits for challenging zoning. He noted that the residents demonstrated they are affected by living within close proximity to the data center overlays, which can be up to 5,200 feet away. Powell cited a previous case where residents a quarter-mile to a half-mile from a landfill were granted standing based on evidence of negative impacts.

The contested ordinance, adopted in November 2025, allows data centers as conditional uses in various zones, including conservation, residential, and industrial areas. Residents argue the ordinance permits data centers in too many locations without adequate protections. Specifically, the ordinance exempts backup generators from noise limitations during emergencies and routine testing, a provision that even Archbald's own noise expert found scientifically unnecessary. Powell also pointed to the ordinance's authorization of infrastructure like transformers and substations, which differ significantly from typical residential or commercial development.