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Bernards Township committee introduces ordinance to restrict data centers in office zones
Summary
The township introduced Ordinance 2599 on first reading to amend land-use rules so data centers cannot be established in several office zones; the measure, citing water, energy and emergency-services concerns, was referred to the planning board and set for public hearing June 23, 2026.
Bernards Township Mayor Dorothy McCarthy introduced Ordinance 2599 on first reading, asking the township committee to amend the land-use code to define and limit data centers in the township’s office zones. The committee voted to introduce the ordinance, refer it to the planning board for consistency review, and schedule a public hearing for June 23, 2026.
McCarthy told the committee that the ordinance would distinguish ordinary server rooms from full-scale data centers and would “prevent an office building from claiming a very large server is merely accessory,” adding it would give the zoning officer objective standards. She warned that newer high-density centers—designed for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing—pose planning and environmental challenges. “AI data centers may have a continuous demand for water,” McCarthy said, and “their dependence on continuous electricity and fossil fuel powered backup generators raises air and noise pollution concerns.”
The proposal exempts hospital and municipal IT rooms and retains ordinary bank server rooms and supervisory control systems as permitted uses. McCarthy said the ordinance also blocks colocation operators from exploiting vague accessory-use language.
Deputy mayor (mover) made the motion to introduce Ordinance 2599 on first reading; Committeeman Hodges seconded the motion. The clerk called the roll and the motion carried. As introduced, the ordinance will go to the planning board for a consistency review before a public hearing and final adoption vote on June 23, 2026.
What happens next: Planning-board review and a public hearing will allow residents and stakeholders to comment before the committee takes a final vote. The ordinance, as introduced, affects development rules in the township’s E-1 through E-5 office zoning districts and does not ban small server rooms used by individual businesses or hospitals.
Votes and procedural details: The motion to introduce the ordinance passed on a roll-call vote; the committee scheduled the public hearing for 06/23/2026.
