Staff tells Pinelands Commission CMP generally limits where data centers can be sited; municipalities control zoning and water allocations

Brad, a Commission staff member leading the briefing, told the Pinelands Commission that the CMP and recent amendments limit where large industrial uses such as data centers can be sited and that "there's nothing in the CMP that requires the municipality to zone for industrial uses or anything like a data center." He said the CMP's management-area structure makes regional growth areas, Pinelands towns and certain villages the most likely places where a municipality could permit a data center by ordinance.

Brad outlined minimum environmental standards that any local ordinance or application must meet — wetlands protection, habitat protections, cultural resources review, fire-hazard mitigation and air-quality requirements — and emphasized the CMP's extensive stormwater and wastewater standards for large footprints. He noted that many villages lack sewer service, making septic rules a limiting factor for development intensity.

On water, staff described rules adopted in recent years that require a heightened showing for any proposed diversion of 50,000 gallons per day or more, including demonstrating there is no viable alternative supply and that local and regional impacts would not be harmful. As staff put it, applicants "have to demonstrate that there's no alternative water supply source available or viable" before an on‑site well that diverts that amount could be approved.

Staff also described the Commission's review sequence: a municipality must submit zoning ordinance changes or redevelopment plans to the Commission for review and receive a certificate of filing before local approvals take effect; if local approvals differ materially from the filed documents the Commission may require a new application and review. Staff said the Commission does not have authority to unilaterally impose a moratorium and that formal rulemaking would be a lengthy process.

Commissioners used the briefing to flag policy gaps. Several urged a formal definition of "data center" and discussion of whether such facilities should be classified as light or heavy industrial under municipal land‑use law. One commissioner suggested the Commission consider asking the governor and legislature to clarify the municipal land‑use code for data centers; another proposed requiring applicants to include long‑term decommissioning plans to address the risk of a site becoming vacant or obsolete.

The briefing closed with staff saying they will continue to implement the CMP framework, monitor trends in data‑center design (including closed‑loop cooling) and track municipal ordinances that specifically exempt or prohibit data centers.