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Residents press for data-center ban; council to review draft ordinance
Summary
Multiple residents urged a ban on data centers, citing water use and infrastructure strain; the planning memo and council discussion outlined three legal approaches and the council committed to have its attorney review councilman Pollock's draft and place it on the next agenda for introduction.
During public comment, multiple residents asked the council to prohibit data centers in town, warning that the Kirkwood–Cohansey aquifer and other local water resources could be overdrawn and that high-density development strains infrastructure. "Data centers threatened to overdraw the aquifer faster than nature can recharge it," one resident said. Another speaker urged the council to adopt an ordinance similar to one passed in nearby Howell.
Council read a memo from the planner that outlined three legal pathways: (1) rely on the land‑use code where data centers are not listed (forcing applicants to seek a use variance and bear an enhanced burden of proof), (2) adopt an ordinance permitting data centers in limited zones with strict design standards and mitigations, or (3) adopt a prohibited-use ordinance — which the planner warned could be difficult to defend and enforce. Council President Bernstein committed to having the attorney review councilman Pollock’s draft and to place the item on the next meeting agenda for introduction, while cautioning that legal defensibility and potential litigation should guide the final approach.
