Residents press Lacey Township Committee to block data centers after informational briefing

The Lacey Township Committee heard extended public comment and testimony Tuesday after a committee member summarized a Pinelands Alliance Zoom briefing about data centers and possible local restrictions. Committee members repeatedly described the evening’s item as informational and said they would not vote on a ban that night.

“Listen and learn,” Mayor Kennes said, explaining he had attended the Pinelands Alliance briefing and wanted the rest of the committee to see the materials. Several members urged tabling a decision to allow time for research and input from planning, zoning and the environmental commission.

Public commenters filled the chamber with concerns about the environmental and community impacts of modern AI-style data centers. “Data centers are using up water and electricity and will drive up costs for residents,” said Caitlyn Allsopp, who identified herself from Forked River and urged the committee to “please don’t sell us out to big tech.”

Residents cited examples from other states and research they said showed large water withdrawals, noise and strain on local grids. “AI data centers require extensive usage of our fresh water,” a resident said, summarizing published reports. Speakers also warned of noise pollution, “invasive humming,” and potential increases in local electricity rates.

Members of the public urged the committee to make any ordinance townwide rather than limiting a ban to land west of the parkway. Several speakers noted that while some Pinelands protections already restrict uses west of the parkway, they feared future rule changes or loopholes and therefore called for an ordinance that protects the entire township.

Committee members acknowledged the volume of public comment and said they would post the Pinelands Alliance packet and links to the presentation on the township website by the following Monday so residents could review the materials. “We’re going to get hit with questions. We don’t know the answers yet,” one committee member said, and urged residents to give the governing body time to review the information.

Jason Howell of the Pinelands Alliance addressed the meeting during public comment to explain the Alliance’s position and to note that other municipalities had pursued bans after reviewing the evidence. Howell urged the committee to evaluate how a data center would fit (or not fit) with the township’s land use and infrastructure.

Next steps: the committee said any ordinance would require legal review, would likely be routed to the planning board and would include a formal public hearing as required by municipal law. No ordinance was introduced or voted on during the meeting.

(Reporting note: quotations and attributions are taken from public comment and committee remarks during the meeting.)