Kenilworth planning board approves site plan to convert Building K11 into data center

The Kenilworth Planning Board voted unanimously to approve site plan Application 25‑003, permitting the conversion of Building K11 on the NEST campus into a data center and the installation of associated generator and chiller yards.

The approved plan covers repurposing an existing three‑story lab building (about a 70,000 square‑foot floor plate and roughly 247,000 square feet total across levels), a generator yard to the east and a chiller yard to the south, and associated site work. The board recorded the motion to approve on the record after board professionals and the applicant’s witnesses testified and the public comment period closed.

Why it matters: the project will add high‑capacity computing infrastructure and supporting mechanical systems at a redeveloped industrial campus in Kenilworth, bringing local land‑use changes (equipment yards, signage and security fencing), ongoing testing of standby generators, and regular maintenance activity. Board members and borough officials emphasized compliance with fire‑service access, sound regulations and state permitting before construction.

Applicant testimony and operations Michael Terlizzi, who testified for the applicant as the project’s data‑center operations lead, described the company’s business model and operations. “We are what’s called a GPU as a service company,” he said. He told the board the conversion would require relatively minor exterior work, a roof replacement, new glazing and limited aesthetic changes at the storefronts. Terlizzi said the facility would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with roughly 40 employees across shifts (peak staffing of about 15–20 and overnight staffing of about five to six).

Terlizzi and the project engineer described standby power and testing practices: the plan calls for a field of generators (31 units) that are “emergency generators only,” tested monthly for 20–30 minutes during normal business hours, and located on concrete pads surrounded by gravel. Fuel storage for the generators will include on‑site fuel tanks and fueling stations with required secondary containment. The applicant agreed to third‑party acoustical review and to meet borough and state sound limits mentioned during testimony (discussed in the hearing as roughly in the 55–65 dB range).

Site plan details and board conditions Daniel Miola, the project engineer, presented the site plan exhibits and statistics: the campus totals about 107 acres and was recently subdivided; Building K11 and its surrounding yards are the focus of this application. The proposal includes a roughly 125,000‑square‑foot yard to the south of the building, a 50,000‑square‑foot chiller yard, 29 chiller units on an elevated steel platform and an underground stormwater infiltration system beneath the chiller pad to mitigate increased impervious coverage. The generator yard is proposed over an existing parking lot, reducing impervious coverage in that area.

Miola testified the applicant has a lease with Onyx for 25 parking spaces tied to the building; the tract‑wide parking requirement calculated under the redevelopment plan results in a campus total of 2,988 spaces after the project, a surplus of about 100 spaces compared with the redevelopment plan’s requirement. Two preexisting variances for setbacks remain in place (a 9.5‑foot side yard where 10 feet is required, and a 9.4‑foot rear yard where 15 feet is required).

The board and borough officials conditioned approval on the applicant addressing outstanding planner and engineer comments, coordinating with the borough fire official on emergency‑vehicle turning radii (the applicant agreed to revise as needed), obtaining required state permits for generators (a DDP pre‑construction permit was cited), providing acoustical verification, and holding a pre‑construction meeting with borough staff.

Votes and next steps The motion to approve the application was made and seconded on the record; roll call votes recorded the board’s unanimous approval. The applicant and its professionals confirmed they will incorporate comments from the board planner and engineer and will coordinate with the fire official on turning radii. The board noted previously approved work at the campus (a substation approved at an earlier hearing) and discussed scheduling a resolution at the next regular meeting if the applicant requests it.

Public comment and board wrap‑up The hearing opened to the public; no substantive public speakers were recorded on the data center application. Board members praised the applicant’s professional team and reiterated that compliance with borough and state standards (fire, sound, stormwater, permits) is required before construction activity proceeds.