Public commenter urges Board of Education to oppose allowing data centers near Blanquita Valente School
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Summary
At a New Brunswick Board of Education meeting, public commenter Charlie Cratabille asked whether the board had been consulted about a proposed Jersey Avenue redevelopment change that would permit data centers near the new Blanquita Valente School and urged community action at an upcoming City Hall hearing.
Charlie Cratabille, speaking during public comment at a New Brunswick Board of Education meeting, said he recently learned of a proposal to change the Jersey Avenue redevelopment plan to allow data centers and urged the board to push back.
"You may have heard of this by now, the proposal to change the redevelopment plan for Jersey Avenue to allow data centers," Cratabille said, adding that a developer is eyeing land near Lincoln Gardens, Lake Street and Mile Run Brook for what he described as a "27,000 square foot data center" that could sit close to homes, businesses and the new Blanquita Valente School.
Cratabille raised health and infrastructure concerns, saying a data center at that location "would pollute our air and water, and require tremendous amounts of fresh water and electricity," and linked such facilities to higher electricity costs. He said he could not determine from public sources whether the Board of Education had been consulted and asked the board to follow up: "So can you tell me, did anyone consult the board about this?" Cratabille added an invitation for community members to attend the City Hall meeting the next evening to speak against the plan.
The presiding official stated they were not aware of the proposal until shortly before the meeting and said they would try to find out whether the board had been consulted. On a separate question about whether students who participated in a recent walkout were denied lunch, the presiding official replied, "I don't know. I'm gonna try to find that out." The transcript records no formal response from city officials or developers during the meeting.
Why it matters: The site described by Cratabille is within a short distance of a neighborhood and a newly opened school building. If a municipal redevelopment plan is altered to permit data centers, future private proposals could be submitted under that zoning framework; public commenters and school officials said they had not been apprised of any such consultation with the board. The board's authority over municipal redevelopment is limited, but changes to a redevelopment plan can affect neighborhood land uses adjacent to schools.
What happens next: Cratabille urged residents to attend the City Hall hearing on the redevelopment change. The board said it would attempt to determine whether it had been consulted; no formal board directive or vote on the redevelopment matter was recorded in the meeting transcript.
