Monroe Township, New Jersey, bans data centers after concern from residents

A Gloucester County, New Jersey, township passed a ban on data center construction late last month, after outcry from residents and fears that a warehouse project in the township could be converted into one.

On April 22, Monroe Township passed two ordinances prohibiting data centers across the township.

According to the ordinances, Hexa Builders has been working on a warehouse property within a 159-acre redevelopment area along Black Horse Pike. But one of the permitted uses of the property within the area would have been a data center.

The passage of the two ordinances forbids that from happening. Local officials said residents attended several meetings and expressed opposition to any data centers being built in the area. That led the township's legal team to work on crafting legislation to ban data centers.

"This was a process that lasted several months, and several meetings; however, our Township had to ensure this process was being done properly and in accordance with the laws. At the end of the day, this Township has now banned any data center use from ever coming to Monroe Township," Mayor Greg Wolfe said in a statement. "I thank those residents who attended the many meetings and expressed their concerns. The process worked."

The move is among the latest in a nationwide resistance to data centers over concerns about environmental impacts, electricity and water usage, and concerns about a town's character.

The boom in data center construction has intensified the competition for electricity. The boom is largely attributed to tech companies looking to expand capacity for artificial intelligence computing.