MANCHESTER – There was a collective cheer and applause by a large audience when the Township Council unanimously approved Ordinance #26-48, a document that reversed the decision to allow data centers in the redevelopment plan for Manchester.
The Township Council meeting had to be relocated to the Manchester Township High School auditorium to accommodate the large number of protesters, many of whom carried signs or wore T-shirts proclaiming “No Data Centers in Manchester.”
Attendees expressed that this was a huge win in helping to protect the community’s watershed, Barnegat Bay and Pinelands from excessive water and electric use demands while also keeping the township’s wildlife safe from disorienting noise. However, many also wanted to see the governing body consider a moratorium, or an additional ordinance to reinforce the anti-data center sentiment.
Resident Bonnie MacFarlane told The Manchester Times before the meeting started that she came out to make sure the ordinance passed. “I was born and raised in Ocean County. I grew up in Jackson so I never moved far from the area so I consider Jackson and Manchester close to my heart. These are the towns I grew up in and I hate to see all this overdevelopment without giving a second thought to having the infrastructure to support it. I spoke up at the last two meetings.”
Maria Ashmawy wore a bright red “No Data Centers” T-shirt that she had made and held what appeared to be a fly swatter with a message on it as she left the meeting. She said she was pleased that the ordinance passed and that this was a serious issue that required action by the governing body and the participation of the public.
An ordinance has two readings; the first one is when it is introduced and the second one is when it is adopted. This latest meeting adopted the ordinance. Then there is a 20-day window before the ordinance goes into effect.
Numerous residents came before the microphone for the second public hearing stressing their fear about data centers and what the township’s options were in the case that a developer applied to build a data center during the 20-day window. They also worried what would happen if the ordinance gets challenged legally by a developer.
Council President Michele Zolezi made it clear that with the passage of this ordinance removing a zone from the redevelopment plan, “data centers are not permitted in Manchester, period.”
Township Attorney Lauren Staiger explained that even with the ordinance adopted, should a developer seek to make an application in that 20-day period, “technically, yes, however it would have to be a complete application. We have had discussions with the redeveloper here and they are not in a position to do that. I don’t see it happening.”
She further explained that an application could still be filed for a variance to the Zoning Board. “There are strict requirements under the municipal land use law that they need to adhere to. There are different variances that they can seek that would require the showing of different criteria and if they can meet what is then the variance criteria they are seeking, the Zoning Board has the right to give that variance. There are criteria that has to be met.”
The Zoning Board of Adjustment is the governmental body that oversees when a developer wants to build something that is not allowed.
“They cannot override the community development plan because they don’t have that authority,” Business Administrator Carl Block said.
Many residents expressed thanks to the mayor and council for moving the ordinance forward to passage but there were concerns about whether more measures might be needed to further protect the community.
Several residents such as Elaine White, felt there was a need to define what a data center is within the text of any ordinance to add an additional hurdle.
Data centers have become a nationwide issue and in Ocean County several communities have passed ordinances seeking to ban or restrict their placement. Brick Township officials introduced an ordinance that defines data centers and clarifies that they are a distinct land use that is not included in any existing township category.
“It is clear what a data center is. We are okay with how it is stated. It is not permitted,” Staiger added.
Zolezi concurred saying, “it doesn’t make a difference; data centers are not permitted.”
A data center is a physical facility or building used to house computer systems, servers, data storage devices, and networking infrastructure to process, store, and share digital information. They are used to store data and hold massive amounts of digital files. They also run applications, power websites, email, streaming services, and cloud computing and they support the heavy computing power needed for artificial intelligence (AI).
Many environmentalists have noted major concerns on the impact they have such as massive electricity demands, heavy water consumption for cooling, localized waste heat, and air and noise pollution.
According to a report from Yale University called “Data Centers, Urban Heat, and AI Growth,” the rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence accelerates these pressures.
Officials and residents agreed that the State needed to take a stronger role in the decision-making process of where data centers would be located within New Jersey.
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