Manchester Is Set To Ban Data Centers; See Meeting Details

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Council is set to meet at 6 p.m. Monday for a final discussion and vote on an ordinance that will ban artificial intelligence data centers in the town.

After residents packed the Manchester Township courtroom to overflowing for the last two regularly scheduled council meetings, the council has moved the Monday, Sept. 14 meeting to Manchester Township High School.

Manchester Township High School is at 101 Hawks Way, Manchester; Colonial Drive becomes Hawks Way when you cross Route 37. Meetings are typically held in the school's auditorium at the rear of the building.

The council introduced the ordinance at the Aug. 24 council meeting, two weeks after 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.

Ordinance No. 26-48 repeals the 2025 measure. It also includes a definitive statement banning data centers in any part of Manchester.

Residents at the Aug. 24 council meeting asked how quickly the ordinance will take effect and whether it is enough to protect the township from developers trying to get plans in before it does.

Carl Block, the township's business administrator, said there were no plans filed with the township for any proposed data centers or even in discussions with township officials.

Typically when a developer files plans for a project, their proposal filing for the planning or zoning boards must be "deemed complete" — meaning all the requested documents filed and fees submitted — before a project can go to the planning or zoning boards for a hearing. And that typically happens after a developer has preliminary discussions with the town before a preliminary site plan proposal is filed.

The ordinance is expected to take effect in 20 days after publication; township attorney Lauren Staiger at the Aug. 24 meeting said it would likely be published on the township's website Tuesday, and take effect in early October.

Township officials said they would research the possibility of having the ordinance take effect immediately but said there are rules that govern emergency ordinance provisions.

Previous reporting:

Data Center Ban Introduced In Manchester

Mayor Speaks Out On Manchester Data Center Controversy

AI Data Centers Ban Demanded In Manchester