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Monroe Township council removes ‘data processing’ language in zoning; residents urge broader moratorium on AI data centers
Summary
Council voted to advance an ordinance that removes ambiguous “data processing” language from multiple zoning districts, a move the administration says will make AI data centers a non‑permitted use; residents at public comment pressed for a state and local moratorium and raised environmental and noise concerns.
The Monroe Township Council on June 29 advanced an ordinance to remove the phrase “data processing” from several zoning districts, a step officials and residents say will close an arcane loophole and make AI data centers a non‑permitted use under the township's municipal land‑use code.
Supporters of the ordinance, including Business Administrator Kevin McGawan, told the council the language dates to 1991 and could be misread to allow modern large‑scale data facilities. McGawan said the amendment deletes that phrase from four zones so “it won't appear anywhere in our zoning ordinance,” and argued the change would prevent private developers from using older wording to claim a permitted use if they later acquire state‑owned land.
The move drew sustained public comment. Patricia Swalj (586A Madison Drive) urged the council to go further, asking for a formal moratorium on AI data center applications while the township studies zoning, grid impacts and water use. “These artificial intelligence data centers are not a regular land use and there needs to be a separate zoning category to ensure the codes address the demands these centers pose,” Swalj said during the meeting's public‑comment period.
Swalj and other residents cited environmental and community concerns raised elsewhere in New Jersey — including noise, water and energy impacts — and pointed to advocacy groups that have petitioned state officials for a pause on approvals until regulations catch up with technology. A resident said some operating centers report continuous noise levels they characterized as “96 to 100 dB,” which they asserted raises health and nuisance questions.
Council members and administration staff repeatedly noted limits on local authority: the administration explained federal property can be exempt from local zoning rules, while state property is generally subject to municipal regulation but could be sold to private owners in the future. McGawan said that by eliminating the 1991 language now, the township forecloses an avenue by which a private developer might later claim a data center as an allowed use.
The council recorded roll‑call support when the ordinance was advanced for first reading: Councilwoman Cohen, Councilman Diapro, Council Vice President Markell and Council President Seagull all voted yes. The ordinance will return for public hearing and final adoption under the township's normal schedule.
Residents who urged a moratorium said they hope the township will also press state leaders for uniform rules; administrators said they are monitoring state and federal actions but described the local text change as the tool available under municipal law. The council did not set a separate local moratorium during the meeting.
What happens next: the ordinance will go to the council's August public hearing for final consideration; staff said they will continue to monitor state regulatory developments and plan outreach on the landfill/community solar and zoning changes referenced during the discussion.
