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New Jersey Towns Block Data Centers
Coverage from Asbury Park Press, Business Insider, and others
Articles
38
Active Days
73
The Topic
Municipalities in New Jersey are increasingly using bans, ordinance changes, and early-stage reviews to stop or restrict data center development. Millville blocked a proposed 1.4-gigawatt campus, while East Greenwich and Neptune adopted prohibitions after local opposition; Lacey is considering similar action, and other projects face zoning or permitting barriers. The disputes center on whether large facilities can secure power and cooling without shifting costs, environmental impacts, noise, or infrastructure burdens to residents, as state officials consider broader rules and ratepayer protections.
First Article: 05/13/26
Latest Article: 07/24/26
Summary
- Millville banned data centers, halting a proposed campus reported at 1.4 gigawatts and more than 60 acres.
- East Greenwich adopted a prohibition after American Tower withdrew a proposed 4-megawatt facility amid resident opposition.
- Neptune Township voted to prohibit new data centers, citing electricity demand, water use, tax costs, and limited local benefits.
- Lacey began discussing a possible ban while officials and residents debated impacts in and around the Pinelands.
- New Jersey advocates are seeking a statewide moratorium, while Gov. Mikie Sherrill has proposed rules requiring data centers to address energy use, community impacts, and their share of costs.
- A Minnesota comparison shows similar resistance: Elk River rejected a 33-megawatt zoning amendment and considered a moratorium, while Eagan faced litigation over restrictions and cooling-related noise complaints.
History
The story now emphasizes that New Jersey municipal action has broadened from isolated bans into a wider wave of prohibitions, reviews, and early-stage planning debates, with Lacey and other local barriers now more central. It also sharpens the state-level stakes by framing the issue around who pays for power, cooling, and infrastructure costs.
The story has broadened from a general wave of municipal bans into a more developed statewide policy fight, with new local actions and clearer proposals from Gov. Mikie Sherrill on what future rules should cover. The current version also adds East Greenwich, Neptune Township, and Lacey as additional examples of escalating local resistance.
Featured
07-14-2026
Neptune Township Committee voted July 13 to amend land use rules to prohibit data centers and DHS detention centers amid NJ resident opposition over electricity and water impacts.
06-01-2026
Lacey Township officials in New Jersey debated a potential data-center ban on May 28 after Governor Mikie Sherrill announced new accountability rules for AI data centers.
05-20-2026
Millville, New Jersey, banned data centers by ordinance, stopping the 1.4 GW Millville Energy & Data Center Campus proposal.
Timeline: 73 Days
Hover over any logo to see coverage summary, click for full article.
Additional Articles
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Elk River, Minnesota City Council rejected a data center zoning amendment on July 6, leading the applicant to withdraw and prompting a one-year moratorium while Eagan faces moratorium-related litigation.
Hexa Builders sued Monroe Township after local ordinances took effect in May 2026 to ban a proposed data center at 3043 Black Horse Pike in Williamstown, New Jersey.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced H.R. 9442 on June 24, 2026 to impose a moratorium on AI data center construction and upgrades pending federal AI safety and protection requirements.
Berlin Township, Pennsylvania, adopted a data center ordinance on June 16 imposing conditional-use permitting, impact-study submissions, and weekend and weekday noise limits.
Bayonne City Council introduced a July 22 ordinance that would classify data centers as non-permitted uses in all zoning districts in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Virginia Beach officials voted to advance zoning changes banning large data centers and hyperscalers while requiring conditional use permits for smaller facilities.
Holyoke City Council voted 9-4 in Massachusetts on a zoning amendment that bans new data center development while allowing a 12-megawatt capped HPC center to operate.
Allen Park, Michigan planning officials denied a 26-megawatt Solstice Data preliminary site plan and recommended a six-month moratorium after zoning and noise-study concerns.
Michigan regulators are holding review of a wetland permit for Google's Project Cannoli data center in Van Buren Township, with public comments open until June 26.
Jersey City introduced Ordinance 26-057 on July 15 to remove data centers as principal permitted uses in the Industrial District ahead of an Aug. 19 vote.
Mansfield, Massachusetts voters approved Article 23 on May 5 to restrict most data centers through tiered zoning and noise and water requirements.
Ohio Residents for Responsible Development gathered 25,000 signatures by early in a five-week effort to qualify a ballot measure banning data centers using over 25 MW monthly power.
Heidi Yeh argues for a temporary New Jersey data center moratorium modelled on the 1978 Pinelands development pause, citing energy, water, and community impact concerns.
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American Tower Company withdrew a proposed 16,000-square-foot Mt. Royal data center application in East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, after local opposition led officials to ban future development.
Millville, New Jersey commissioners voted to ban data centers within city limits Tuesday, blocking a proposed 2.6 million-square-foot facility.
Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleischer says a New Jersey township ban on data centers is underway as Governor Mikie Sherrill proposes statewide electricity and water-use disclosure rules.
Governor Mikie Sherrill announced a statewide data center impacts plan as New Jersey municipalities adopted zoning bans over energy and water concerns.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez announced an AI data center moratorium in March 2026 as local bans and permitting disputes intensify across Virginia and California.
Monroe Township officials in Gloucester County, New Jersey, denied Hexa Builder LLC's warehouse-and-data-center proposal after May 13 ordinances banning data centers took effect.
Millville commissioners voted May 19 to ban data centers and cancel a proposed 2.6 million square foot facility following community opposition citing power demand and water and infrastructure concerns.
Ohio lawmakers created a bipartisan Joint Data Center Committee to study economic, environmental, and security impacts as cities and townships pursue data center bans and moratoriums.
Elk River city council voted down a zoning amendment for a proposed data center on Monday, while Mayor John Dietz indicated likely denial of a conditional use permit.
Holyoke, Massachusetts, with Mayor Joshua Garcia signing, adopted a zoning amendment banning new data centers while capping the existing Massachusetts Green High-Performance Computing Center at 12 megawatts.
Residents opposed a proposed Mt. Royal Data Storage Facility in East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, and the township adopted a data center development ban after American Tower Company withdrew its application.
Asbury Park, Red Bank, Warren Township, and Sayreville in New Jersey advanced AI data center bans after concerns about electricity, water, noise, and air pollution.
Monroe Township, New Jersey, banned data center development, and Hexa Builders sued local officials in response to denial of a 3043 Black Horse Pike project.
Mansfield, Massachusetts approved a data center zoning bylaw limiting maximum electrical demand to 2 megawatts after residents voted earlier this month.
Manchester Township, New Jersey, adopted a zoning ordinance restricting data center siting and adding setbacks, building limits, buffers, and decommissioning controls before proposals arrived.
Holyoke City Council voted 9-4 on Tuesday to pass a citywide ordinance banning data centers, blocking a proposed $200 million Water Street project in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Warren Township, New Jersey approved first reading of a zoning ordinance to prohibit data centers in all zoning districts, with final adoption set for June 18, 2026.
Jersey City, New Jersey, introduced Ordinance 26-057 on July 15, 2026 to ban data centers as principal uses of industrial property, with a final vote set for August 19.
Elk River, Minnesota denied zoning for a proposed 33MW data center conversion at 19178 Industrial Blvd NW and considered a one-year moratorium on new facilities.
Jersey City Planning Board amended land use ordinances to prohibit cyber hotels and data centers in the industrial district and clarified that warehouses exclude data centers.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced a bill to ban large AI data centers on U.S.-managed land and require removal and remediation of qualifying existing sites.
Conserve Ohio reported 25,000 signatures toward an Ohio November ballot measure that would ban data centers over 25 megawatts monthly by July 1.