Roselle Park council bans data centers in all zoning districts

Roselle Park’s Borough Council on Monday adopted Ordinance 2860, amending the borough land‑use code to explicitly prohibit data centers in all zoning districts. The municipal land use board reviewed the measure and recommended adoption without changes, and the council approved the ordinance by roll call.

Mr. Clark, the borough clerk, read the ordinance for second reading and a public hearing, describing it as a revision to “explicitly prohibit data centers in all zone districts.” The hearing opened and, with no members of the public speaking for or against, the council moved to adopt the ordinance. A subsequent roll call recorded four votes in the affirmative, after which the mayor declared the ordinance adopted.

Councilman Rabina had previously summarized the land use board’s review, saying the board found the proposal “aligns with the goals and objectives of the master plan” and recommended it back to the council with no modifications. No amendments or substantive changes were made during the council session.

The ordinance changes were introduced as an effort to clarify the borough code’s treatment of data‑center uses across zoning districts. The clerk’s reading and the council’s roll call were the only formal actions taken on the ordinance at the meeting. The borough did not record any public comments or requests for deferment during the hearing.

The ordinance now moves to the borough’s implementation process; the clerk recorded the adoption on the meeting minutes and the council confirmed the ordinance as adopted during the session.