A Nov. 9 Planning Board hearing will consider the master plan recommendations; the hearing notice does not announce adoption of a zoning ordinance.
RANDOLPH, NJ – A newly released review of Randolph’s master plan recommends explicitly prohibiting data centers, hyperscale data centers and battery energy storage facilities throughout the township, while establishing operating standards for data centers that might seek zoning relief.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the report at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at the Municipal Building, 502 Millbrook Ave., according to a notice posted Oct. 30. The board may adopt the report after hearing public comment.
The Oct. 29 reexamination report contains recommendations for future ordinances. It is not itself an adopted data center ban.
What the report proposes
Data centers house computer servers and related equipment used to store and process digital information. The report would add these facilities to the township’s prohibited uses, while providing standards for applicants seeking a use variance from the Board of Adjustment.
Those standards address utility service, cooling, noise, environmental and community impacts, and financial security for eventual cleanup. The report separately recommends prohibiting battery energy storage facilities, which store electricity for later use, citing fire risks and emergency planning concerns.
How the proposal fits into state policy
The recommendations arrive as New Jersey expands regulation of data centers and promotes energy storage.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s municipal resource hub describes state laws establishing a separate ratepayer structure for data centers and requiring reporting of their water and energy use. The hub also offers municipalities technical assistance and resources for negotiating community benefit agreements with developers.
Those agreements can address a project’s local effects through financial commitments and other requirements. NJEDA describes them as legally binding contracts tailored to the host community and the development under review.
The state has also pursued additional battery storage capacity. In announcing legislation signed in March, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration said the changes would expand competition for storage incentives and support grid reliability. That state policy supplies context for Randolph’s proposal; it does not establish whether a particular facility would be appropriate at a particular local site.
How to review the recommendations
A master plan sets a municipality’s policies for future growth and development. Randolph’s explanation describes it as a guide addressing housing, commerce, light industry, natural resources and open space.
Residents can read the report online or review it in the Planning Department during weekday hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Questions about the hearing may be directed to 973-989-7080. The action identified in the hearing notice is consideration of the planning report; any later ordinance should be reviewed separately for its final language and adoption status.