New Brunswick council removes proposed data center from Jersey Ave. redevelopment plan, reinstates park
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Summary
After extensive public comment, the City Council voted to amend the Jersey Center/Sanford redevelopment plan to remove a proposed 27,000-square-foot data center and restore a park on the site; residents urged higher affordable-housing requirements and better public notice.
The New Brunswick City Council voted Feb. 18 to amend the Jersey Center/Sanford redevelopment plan to remove a proposed 27,000‑square‑foot data center and to reinstate a park on the site. The amendment, moved by the council president and seconded by a fellow council member, passed on a roll‑call vote.
City planner Mr. Dominguez told the council the planning board and administration recommended removing the data‑center use and restoring a park while preserving small commercial 'bay' spaces. Dominguez said the proposed development retains a 10% affordable‑housing component and noted the city already has about 3,750 affordable and subsidized units (roughly 22% of housing stock) with 561 additional units in the pipeline.
Why it matters: Hundreds of residents and student activists attended the meeting to oppose siting a data center near homes and campus. Commenters linked the proposal to environmental‑justice and gentrification concerns and urged the council to raise the affordable share to 20%.
Residents and advocates pressed the council for stronger affordability and community benefits. "We don't want these kind of centers in here that's gonna take resources from the community," said Bruce Morgan, president of the New Brunswick area NAACP, during the ordinance‑specific public comment. Several speakers representing Rutgers and neighborhood groups said 10% did not meet local needs.
Council president framed the vote narrowly: the council first adopted an amendment omitting the data center and reinstating park space and then proceeded to vote on the redevelopment plan as amended. After public comment concluded, the council took a roll‑call vote; members answering in the affirmative included Council member Escobar, Council member Ferguson, Council member Sephora Lovelace, Vice President Gaskins and the council president. The amendment and the ordinance as amended were approved in that vote.
What’s next: Supporters of a larger affordability requirement urged the council to consider additional motions or future amendments to raise the affordable‑housing percentage; the council said it would take those concerns under consideration and review the city's broader housing pipeline and commitments.
