The Olyphant community is intensifying its pushback against the proliferation of local data center proposals, with grassroots organization “Stop Olyphant Data Centers” scheduling its first major public information night this Sunday. The event, held at Fern Hill Park, aims to consolidate the growing opposition movement by clarifying the legislative situation and debunking the rumors that have circulated since the group formed in April. With more than 1,800 active members on Facebook and over $6,150 raised to fund legal representation, the organization is positioning itself as a unified front against industrial expansion in the borough.
Organizer Eva Rappenglueck emphasized that the event serves as a crucial platform to coordinate the community’s strategy. Beyond simply gathering residents, the information night is designed to educate the public on the complexities of borough zoning and the specific legal pressures currently facing Olyphant. By featuring speakers like Aline Browning of the Lackawanna Citizens’ Overwatch Project—who will address public health concerns—and Emily Van Fleet, who will share insights from successful opposition efforts in neighboring Archbald, the group hopes to empower residents with the knowledge necessary to influence future council decisions.
The legislative tension centers on Olyphant’s decision in April to adopt specific zoning standards for data centers, a move later solidified by a June settlement with a firm managed by Charles DeNaples. While the borough claims these regulations are a protective measure against “exclusionary zoning” lawsuits, residents remain frustrated by the scale of the approval. Currently, approximately 1,000 acres of industrially zoned land—bordered by the Casey Highway, Marshwood Road, and Route 247—are designated as potential sites for data center development, a scope many locals argue is far too broad for the community.
Complicating matters further is an aggressive legal challenge filed by ERCOR Triboro, an affiliate of the St. Louis-based Sansone Group. In June, the company petitioned a Lackawanna County judge to bypass the borough’s public hearing process entirely, arguing that their “Project Triboro” data center campus should be permitted under older warehouse approvals granted in 2022. By attempting to switch from warehouse development to data center infrastructure without undergoing the new conditional use process, the developer has sparked fears that the borough’s recent zoning regulations could be rendered toothless by judicial intervention.
Rappenglueck and her team are acutely aware of the “defeatist” attitude settling into the community, where many residents mistakenly believe that the approval of these projects is already a foregone conclusion. The Sunday event will directly challenge this narrative, highlighting past wins and outlining actionable steps for civic engagement. By providing resources like aerial mapping, expert testimony on health and environmental risks, and a clear legal roadmap, the organizers hope to dispel misinformation and ensure that the borough council faces a coherent and energized voting base rather than individual, disparate complaints.
As the movement prepares for its first large-scale gathering, the message from organizers remains one of urgency and persistence. Rappenglueck maintains that while the pressure from developers is significant, the community still holds the leverage of collective action. “We have a fighting chance, but we need to band together as a community,” she stated, noting that the sheer weight of public participation is the only way to ensure that local officials prioritize resident concerns alongside industrial growth. The success of Sunday’s event may determine whether the anti-data center camp can maintain its momentum against the legal hurdles currently looming over Olyphant.