Council trims warehouse cap to 75,000 sq ft; data-center ordinance also approved, commission told

A commissioner told the Sparta Environmental Commission on June 25 that the Township Council recently adopted two zoning measures: a cap that reduces the maximum allowed warehouse building size in PDRM1, PDRM2 and ED zones from 175,000 square feet to 75,000 square feet, and a separate ordinance addressing data centers that the report identified as No. 2611.

Councilwoman Margie Murphy reported the warehouse-size ordinance was introduced and then confirmed at the council meeting and said the council vote on that measure was 4–1. She said the data-center ordinance passed unanimously. "We introduced it and then last week we confirmed and we put through the ordinance," Murphy told the commission when summarizing council action.

Murphy said the council directed detailed standards about building intensity — how large projects are sited and any accompanying uses — to the master-plan committee, which will integrate the commission's earlier recommendations. Commissioners noted the master plan has not been fully redone in roughly 40 years and that the subcommittee will work to incorporate current intensity specifications and environmental considerations.

The commission did not itself vote on the council ordinances; the action was reported as part of the commissioners' regular reports. Commissioners asked staff to track proposed master-plan language so environmental concerns about site intensity, stormwater and buffers can be considered during the master-plan review.

The commission's report did not include roll-call names or a full vote record from the council meeting beyond the verbal tallies reported (warehouse cap 4–1; data-center ordinance unanimous). The commission said it will forward its recommendations on intensity and environmental standards to the master-plan committee when that work resumes.