Proposed AI Data Center near Forest City, PA

Yes, there is an active proposed data center + power generation project in Clinton Township, Wayne County, PA, right in the Forest City / Browndale area of Northeast Pennsylvania.

This is one of the more recent and locally contentious proposals in the state amid the broader AI/data center boom. It has drawn significant community opposition, large public turnouts at meetings, and questions about zoning, environmental impacts, and process.  

• Location: Clinton Township, Wayne County (parcel identified as Wayne County Tax Map 06-2-0230-0006). Roughly 682–743 acres, described as forested/wetland area feeding into the Lackawanna River, less than a mile from Forest City center in some accounts. It sits between Browndale Mountain and the river in places. An adjacent ~811-acre property east of Route 247 (in the Forest City area) is also discussed in connection with the power plant component.
• Scale:
  • 20 data center buildings, each approximately 118,000 sq ft (plans reference “2S 12 Data Halls” — possibly indicating two-story structures with multiple halls).
  • Buildings clustered (groups of 9, 9, and 2) on the western half of the site, with customer substations.
  • Two on-site natural gas power generation facilities (one at each end of the eastern portion of the site).
  • Supporting infrastructure: Two customer substations, water treatment building, parking, utilities, landscaping, and stormwater management.
• Resource demands (preliminary): Peak water use around 840,000 gallons per day for the data center campus + 100,000 gpd for the power plant; sewer demands in the tens of thousands of gallons per day.

• Developer/Parties:
  • Landowner: Linde Corporation (a local/NEPA developer; some residents and officials have raised conflict-of-interest questions because a prior township solicitor had ties to Scott Linde).
  • Project partner/option holder: Forest City Energy Center LLC (principal address listed in Houston, TX — appears to be a project-specific entity with limited public corporate footprint in reporting).
  • Not publicly tied in available coverage to a major hyperscaler (e.g., Meta, Amazon, Google) like some other proposals. This looks more like a co-located data center + behind-the-meter power generation model.

Plans were submitted around late April 2026 (with amendments in May) and include environmental reviews (bats — northern long-eared and Indiana bat habitat noted; archeological survey recommended due to high probability of eligible sites; property is in the county’s Clean and Green program for agricultural/woodland tax assessment).

• May 7, 2026: Major Clinton Township Planning Commission hearing at the municipal building (1799 White Oak Drive, Forest City). Over 300 concerned residents attended — a very large turnout for the area. Strong opposition was voiced on environmental, quality-of-life, and procedural grounds.
• June 3, 2026: Planning Commission reviewed the application and deemed it incomplete (deficiencies noted in sewage disposal details, viewshed analysis (visual impact), historic resources documentation, and other required information under township rules).
• The project remains under active review. Officials are weighing zoning questions (the site has limited heavy industrial/I2 zoning, and data centers may need specific allowances), whether a moratorium on data centers would be legal under Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code, solicitor impartiality (township replaced one solicitor over developer ties), and next steps for a complete application.
• No final approvals yet. Developers would need to address deficiencies and resubmit. Amendments to local ordinances (e.g., adding specific data center rules) are possible but must follow proper process.

This has been covered by local outlets including The River Reporter, WNEP, WJFF Radio (Catskill), and The Center Square.

Residents have organized via Facebook groups (e.g., calls to attend meetings and “stop the data center "). Key issues raised include:

• Industrialization of rural/forested land and impacts on viewsheds, wetlands, and the Lackawanna River watershed.
• Emissions and other effects from the two natural gas power plants.
• High water and energy demands in a rural area.
• Noise, traffic (especially during construction), and long-term quality-of-life changes in a small town.
• Limited long-term local job benefits versus broader community costs.
• Questions about the process, transparency, and potential conflicts.

In one hearing video, residents also discussed NDAs as a general concern in these types of projects.

This proposal does not appear (based on current public reporting) to have involved the same level of prolonged secrecy or binding NDAs with township officials that has been documented in other parts of the U.S.  like Wisconsin (Beaver Dam/Menomonie via shell companies), Missouri, or South Carolina.

The plans reached public Planning Commission review relatively quickly after submission, with media coverage and a very well-attended hearing. However, it fits the broader early-stage pattern: a developer (Linde) with land under option partnering with a Texas LLC for due diligence, will-serve letters for utilities, and large-scale plans (data centers + on-site power) before full public scrutiny. The Houston-based LLC structure and limited initial public details on the ultimate end-user(s) are common in these type of data center deals.

Wayne County/Clinton Township does not seem to have had a pre-existing specific data center ordinance (unlike Susquehanna County, which proactively added regulations in late 2025/early 2026 as a preparedness measure). This project is testing the existing rules, which is why zoning and completeness issues are central right now.

No specific operator or end-user (tenant/hyperscaler) has been publicly named for the proposed data center on Browndale Mountain / Clinton Township as of the latest available information (mid-June 2026).

• The project is being developed through Forest City Energy Center LLC (the LLC with the Houston address) in partnership with local landowner Linde Corporation.
• Plans describe a multi-building campus with on-site natural gas power generation, but reporting consistently notes that the ultimate operator or major tenant (the company that would actually run servers in the data halls) remains undisclosed.
• This is common in early-stage proposals — the “end user” is often kept confidential until later in the approval or leasing process (sometimes using shells or code names).

Community groups and residents have specifically raised questions about this lack of transparency during public comments.

• Monitor Clinton Township and Wayne County Planning Commission agendas and meetings (they have been holding them publicly).
• Check local news: The River Reporter, WNEP, WJFF, and The Center Square have been covering it.
• Right-to-Know requests can be filed for submitted plans and correspondence.
• Community Facebook groups have been active for organizing and sharing updates. Stop Archbald Data Centers and  Data Center 411.
• Pennsylvania has a statewide data center proposal tracker that maps projects (including NEPA ones). https://trackdatacenters.com/state/pennsylvania