Planning board recommends ordinance to remove 'data processing facilities' from permitted uses

The Monroe Township Planning Board recommended that the Township Council adopt an ordinance that removes the phrase "data processing facilities" from four zoning districts, saying the change will remove ambiguity between small office research uses and large-scale hyperscale data centers.

Town attorney McGowan told the board the change is intended to clarify the ordinance language and that "there are no data processing facilities in Monroe Township" now; striking the wording would make those uses prohibited unless a use variance is obtained. Planner Chris added that the master plan (last adopted in 2022) does not reference data centers and that removing the language is consistent with goals for conservation and limiting high-intensity land uses.

A resident, identified on the record as Shell Arminio of 9 Nathaniel Street, thanked the board for the change and asked whether the listed "office research" use could be misconstrued as a data center. Chris and McGowan explained the ordinance contains no new uses and that existing research laboratories are already subject to performance standards in the town code. "That's not going to be misconstrued as a data center," the planner said, and the board voted to recommend the ordinance as consistent with the master plan.

Next steps: the Planning Board recommendation will be transmitted to the Township Council before the council’s second reading on Aug. 3.