Mayor Speaks Out On Manchester Data Center Controversy

MANCHESTER, NJ — In the wake of an overflow crowd at Monday's Township Council meeting where residents demanded a ban on artificial intelligence data centers, Manchester Mayor Joseph Hankins weighed in on the issue.

"I oppose the location and construction of any data center in Manchester Township," Hankins said in a statement released Wednesday.

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Hankins was not in attendance at Monday's council meeting as he was at a prior commitment, Carl Block, Manchester's business administrator, told the crowd Monday after several people criticized Hankins' absence.

The township council did not have any discussion items regarding AI data centers on Monday's council agenda, but messages circulated on social media by the Pinelands Alliance and Save Barnegat Bay urged residents to speak out on the possibility of a data center being located next to the Renaissance age-restricted community.

In his statement, Hankins reiterated comments from Council President Michele Zolezi, who told the audience there is no application before either the township's zoning or planning boards to build a data center in the township.

"I want to make it abundantly clear that I totally oppose any data center in our town," Hankins said.

"I will take all steps together with our Township Council members to remove the possibility of a data center being built in Manchester Township," he said, and added that he has asked the township's attorney, Lauren Staiger, to draft an ordinance that eliminates any provision in the township's codes that would allow one, for introduction at the next Township Council meeting.

An ordinance approved in August 2025 by the council designated a property owned by the Stavola Corporation for redevelopment, and included a provision that specifically included data centers as an acceptable use. The property is off South Hope Chapel Road near the Renaissance age-restricted community and near Cedar Glen West.

The ordinance was approved by a 3-0 vote on Aug. 11, 2025, with then-Council President Roxanne Conniff, Council Vice President James Vaccaro and Councilwoman Sandra Gravatt-Drake voting in favor. Zolezi and Councilman Craig Wallis were absent at the meeting. Conniff resigned from the council earlier this summer and was replaced by Judy Noonan.

That ordinance was passed before concerns about the impact of AI data centers exploded as a national issue.

More than 40 towns in New Jersey have banned data centers in recent months as concerns about environmental impacts including power consumption, water usage and potential pollution have sparked protests around the country.

Groups also are urging Gov. Mikie Sherrill to institute a three-year moratorium on data centers in New Jersey, and petitions were being circulated outside the Manchester council meeting on Monday night to garner support.

Sherrill has not sought to halt data centers, but in July signed the Data Center Fair Share bill into law. It requires data centers to pay for their share of the energy usage — data center energy consumption has led to dramatic spikes in electric bills for consumers all over New Jersey and across the country.

Data centers also would be required to pay for their own energy use and associated grid infrastructure.

Hankins said he is dead set against them coming to Manchester, which its residents love because it sits in the Pinelands and has a significant amount of protected conservation land around it. The area also sits atop the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer, which supplies millions of gallons of drinking water to the region.

"No one loves this town more than I do," Hankins said in his statement. "It is the town I grew up in, the town where I was fortunate enough to build my career as a police officer, the town where I raised my family, and the town where my son and grandchildren live today."

"My commitment as your Mayor is unwavering: to listen to our residents, to take every concern seriously, and to act decisively in the best interest of our community," he said.

Read more: 'Just Ban Them': Manchester Residents Demand Council Block AI Data Centers