Residents urge planning board to block data centers over water, grid and notice concerns

During the public-comment portion of the Aug. 21 meeting, several residents urged the planning board to back Ordinance 05/2026 and to act to protect water resources and community character.

Dave Marshall, who identified his address at the meeting, warned the board about large projects elsewhere and said they had real-world consequences: "The wells have run dry," he said, noting concerns about water usage and grid impacts for large-scale facilities. Another resident described long-term local experience with development proposals and praised the board's past actions to table projects that could harm the township's rural character. Paula McCurdy asked whether the board and solicitor had reviewed the ordinance language, and the chair and solicitor confirmed the ordinance draft was provided to board members in advance and is publicly posted online.

Other commenters questioned whether the review was timed around the election; a resident said they hoped the board would act on policy merits rather than politics. Board members repeatedly urged commenters to stay on topic (master plan consistency), and some attendees raised procedural questions about notice and whether the ordinance text had been published; the chair and solicitor said the ordinance text was available on the township committee's online materials and that the planning board may open meetings to public comment at its discretion.