JESSUP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Some communities are trying to adopt ordinances to better protect their residents from these colossal campuses. 28/22 News Reporter Avery Nape attended a meeting in one of those communities.
While many are pushing back against the development of these proposed centers, residents 28/22 News heard from at Tuesday's meeting were not entirely against them.
As talks of data centers circulate nationally, local communities are working to update their zoning rules to both accommodate the development and protect residents from the potential negative impacts.
Tuesday's meeting at Jessup Borough Building drew a small crowd, but a vocal one.
Included in that crowd, developers from Breaker Street Associates LLC and its parent company, Catalyst Commercial Development LLC, hoping to build a more than 1,000,000 square foot data center just off the Casey Highway.
"Of course, it will be beneficial for us. We believe it will also be very economically beneficial to the borough as well," Aaron Repucci, Director of Development, Catalyst Commercial Development, LLC, voiced.
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The meeting centered on a proposed energy and information technology district, which would clearly define data centers and require certain conditions to be met before development could begin.
Breaker Street Associates LLC would not be affected, though, as they submitted their zoning application prior to the ordinance's introduction.
Despite that, countless residents say they aren't against the centers; they'd just like to see them across the highway in that zone, and away from their homes.
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"They made a lot of good points for the data center. And they'd be great, on the other side of the highway," said one concerned resident.
"They're all so professional, and they know what they're talking about, so I'm hoping what they bring to the table is that evidence, is that convincing, you know. Once it's above the Casey, these are the benefits," added another concerned resident.
The developer's proposed site is located on what Jessup Borough defines as "mixed-use" land, permitting anything from residential to commercial properties as long as they adhere to zoning standards.
In that area, only buildings up to 40-feet tall, meaning the developer would need to apply for an exception to build their more than 100-foot tall centers.
Despite the plans, there is still no timeline on the development or the adoption of that proposed ordinance.
Tuesday's meeting simply allowed council to hear both sides, from residents and developers, to determine the best course of action going forward.
Council did not vote on the proposed ordinance at the meeting.
