Data Center Ban Introduced In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Council took the first step to banning artificial intelligence data centers in the township on Monday night with the introduction of an ordinance to do just that.

The ordinance, No. 26-48, was introduced before another overflow crowd that carried dozens of signs and chanted its message: "No Data Centers. No Means No."

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The council had been faced with an overflow crowd at the Aug. 10 council meeting, where residents turned out in force because of rumors that a developer had approached the town about building one in the midst of the Pine Barrens.

Of particular concern was an ordinance approved in August 2025 by the council that designated a property owned by the Stavola Corporation off South Hope Chapel Road for redevelopment and included a provision that specifically included data centers as an acceptable use.

The ordinance introduced Monday night repeals the 2025 measure. It also includes a definitive statement banning data centers in any part of Manchester.

The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading, public hearing and final vote on Sept. 14, township attorney Lauren Staiger said. It will take effect 20 days after publication of the ordinance following the final vote, in early October, Staiger said.

Council President Michele Zolezi announced the repeal ordinance at the start of the public meeting session, after the council returned from executive session discussions.

Mayor Joseph Hankins was absent from the meeting due to a prior commitment in Whiting. Zolezi said he attended the executive session to reiterate his opposition to data centers, which Hankins had expressed in a statement after the Aug. 10 meeting.

"Tonight the Council took an important step toward listening to the concerns our residents have raised," Hankins said after the meeting. "Repealing this provision removes data centers from our redevelopment plan entirely, and reflects our commitment to ensuring that future development in Manchester Township aligns with the character, resources, and priorities of our community."

"I want to thank the Council for their thoughtful consideration and swift action on this issue. Their willingness to listen and respond to the community speaks to their dedication to serving the residents of Manchester Township," Hankins said. "I also want to thank the residents who have shown up to meetings, written letters, and made their voices heard throughout this process. Local government works best when it responds to the people it serves, and this ordinance is a direct result of that engagement."

Hankins and members of the township administration had met with Ocean County Commissioner Robert Arace and U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, who represents Manchester as part of New Jersey's 4th District in the House of Representatives.

"AI data centers pose critical environmental risks and impose undue stresses on local resources — including water and electricity — which place significant financial burdens on ratepayers and residents," Smith said in a statement Monday afternoon. "The reasonable concerns of local residents must no longer be steamrolled by tech companies seeking profit over Americans' quality of life — not on my watch."

At the meeting, residents applauded the introduction of the ordinance, but some questioned whether it will prevent a developer from getting plans for one in place before the ban takes effect.

Carl Block, Manchester's business administrator, reiterated statements from the Aug. 10 meeting that no plans have been presented to the township for any data center.

He said the 2025 ordinance that addressed redevelopment of the specific site had created the only place in the township where a data center was possible under the township's zoning, and by repealing that ordinance, that option was completely removed because it was specific to the redevelopment.

The ordinance repealing it adds a section completely banning data centers, removing any possibility in the town.

Block also said that the only way a proposal could have been considered is if a developer had filed a complete application for one with the township's planning board. Getting a planning application deemed complete is a process that doesn't happen quickly in the vast majority of cases.

Block also said following the process and the rules for putting the ordinance in place is important, because rushing the process out of fear that someone will try to sneak in a project under the wire would backfire and give the courts reason to reject it.

One man warned that the ban may be put in place, but that it doesn't mean the fight will be over.

"These guys will keep coming at us," the man said, "not just New Jersey, not just Manchester Township, but the whole country."

As happened at the Aug. 10 meeting there was a diverse range of residents who came out in opposition to data centers.

That included the "Jersey Devil," a man who came in costume with a sign urging the council to ban data centers and to protect the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer, a massive underground reserve of freshwater that provides drinking water to millions of New Jersey residents.

At the microphone the man identified himself only as "JD," to the dismay of Zolezi, but he thanked the council for taking the first step to ban the centers.

He then took it a step farther, urging the council to seek more parcels to protect as open space in connection with the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust program, to avoid issues in the future.