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Peapack and Gladstone council asks staff to draft ordinance to bar data centers
Summary
After a council member warned of growing energy and water demands from data centers, the council asked borough staff and counsel to prepare a draft ordinance that would prohibit data centers; staff noted Highlands approvals and zoning constraints would also affect feasibility.
A council member asked the Peapack and Gladstone Borough Council on June 30 to consider adding a ban on data centers to the borough code, citing concerns about energy and water use as well as the evolving technology that can make data centers smaller and more numerous.
Supporters of a ban pointed to examples in neighboring municipalities and urged a proactive approach to avoid future local impacts. One council member said the borough should "codify it so that we can get this done before we potentially have an application," and recommended the borough adopt language similar to model ordinances used elsewhere. Staff and legal counsel said they could draft a short ordinance, and the council asked Steve (borough staff/attorney/planner) to prepare a proposal for the next meeting. Counsel and staff also noted that Highlands Commission jurisdiction and site constraints could make construction difficult in practice.
Several council members described the measure as a precautionary, largely preventive step rather than an immediately necessary regulation; the council did not vote on a ban at the meeting but directed staff to prepare draft language and performance standards for later consideration.
The council also discussed whether any ordinance should address proposals for residential‑scale personal data‑center devices, with some members suggesting performance and safety standards if such uses are to be restricted.
