Data centers

The data-center prohibition

Ordinance 26-19, adopted 5–0 on June 18, 2026, prohibits data centers in every zone. At its May introduction, Committeeman Croson said there were no applications or plans.

Checked against the primary record on . Every figure on this page is sourced at the foot of the article.

Adopted June 18 Last moved

What happens next

No further public step is scheduled in the records reviewed. The ordinance says it takes effect upon adoption, passage and publication; LocalWhy has not reviewed proof of publication.

Ordinance 26-19, adopted 5–0 by the Township Committee on June 18, 2026, prohibits data centers in every zone. It states that it takes effect upon adoption, passage and publication; LocalWhy has not reviewed proof of publication.

On April 16, 2026, Committeeman Croson raised “the impact of data centers on communities, including to noise and energy impacts”. He asked Township Attorney William Willard to research what Warren could do. Willard and Township Planner Katie Sarmad said they would draft an ordinance. At the May 14 introduction, Croson said there were “currently no applications or plans for a data center.”

The Committee introduced the ordinance on May 14. The vote was 4–1, with McCarey voting no. At the June 18 public hearing, two speakers from outside Warren addressed the Committee. McCarey said he supported prohibiting data centers. He questioned the wording of the standards. The hearing closed. The ordinance then passed 5–0.

Section 16-5.25(a)(7) adds “All Data Centers and any and all uses related to the same” to the uses prohibited in all zones. The ordinance removes data centers from the General Industrial district’s permitted uses and adds supplementary standards at §16-23.14 for any application: a 200-foot (OCR) separation from sensitive receptors, a 300-foot (OCR) building setback, sound studies by a certified engineer, a renewable-energy requirement, a heat-recovery system and a decommissioning bond.

The ordinance’s OCR text says a use “with a power density of 2 to 4W (OCR) or more per acre shall be considered a data center.” LocalWhy has not resolved whether it is a drafting error.

The Planning Board’s June 10, 2026 agenda listed the ordinance for review of Master Plan consistency. The minutes need a browser; LocalWhy has not reviewed the Board’s action.

The data-center ban, explained

Timeline

Each dated event on this issue, oldest first, linked to the full sourced entry.

  1. Active Committee discusses data-center regulationCommitteeman Croson raised noise and energy impacts of data centers, referred to ordinances in other New Jersey municipalities and asked the Township Attorney to research options for Warren. Staff said they would draft an ordinance.
  2. Active Committee introduces data-center ban, 4–1Ordinance 26-19, defining data centers and prohibiting them in all zones, was introduced on a 4–1 vote. McCarey voted no; Blick, Croson, Deputy Mayor Kian and Mayor Fine voted yes.
  3. Resolved Committee adopts data-center prohibition, 5–0The Township Committee adopted Ordinance 26-19, 5–0, after a public hearing. The ordinance prohibits data centers in every zone and sets supplementary standards for any variance application.

Explainers

  • Warren's data-center ban, explained

    How Warren came to prohibit data centers in every zone, what Ordinance 26-19 bars and requires, how each member voted, who spoke at the hearing, and what the text leaves unresolved.

Documents

The township's own records on this issue. Each links to the official copy.

Meetings

  • Township Committee Regular Meeting

    The Township Committee adopted three ordinances 5–0: $390,000 for DPW trucks and equipment, $880,000 for a sewer utility generator, and the data-center prohibition, Ordinance 26-19. It introduced filming and fire-inspection ordinances 5–0, awarded the Mountainview Road Phase II contract at $509,422.55, and approved consent resolutions 2026-157 through 2026-185, 5–0.

  • Planning Board Regular Meeting Agenda (PDF)

    The Planning Board's June 10, 2026 agenda listed resolutions on Parkside Villas' amended preliminary and final major site plan at 30 Mountain Boulevard and Fabio Coelho's minor subdivision and lot-width variance at 20 Valley View Road, plus review of Ordinance 26-19, the data-center prohibition, for Master Plan consistency. LocalWhy has not reviewed the minutes, so outcomes are not recorded here.

  • Township Committee Regular Meeting

    The Township Committee adopted the 2026 municipal budget 5–0 after a public hearing with one speaker, and adopted Ordinances 26-15 (cap bank) and 26-16 (sewer easement at 15 Mountain View Road), 5–0 each. It introduced the data-center prohibition 4–1, with Committeeman McCarey opposed, and asked the County Clerk to put the Hofheimer House question on the November 3 ballot, 5–0.

  • Township Committee Regular Meeting

    The Township Committee adopted three ordinances 5–0, including the $900,000 public safety communications appropriation, the $100,000 Cherry Tree Lane drainage study and the AH-6 unit increase, and introduced the 2026 municipal budget, 5–0. It introduced a cap bank and a sewer easement ordinance, 5–0, and adopted consent resolutions 2026-114 through 2026-128, 5–0, including the Federal Reserve Bank redeveloper designation.

Sources for this overview

  1. Ordinance 26-19, adopted June 18, 2026
  2. Township Committee minutes, May 14, 2026 (introduction, 4–1)
  3. Township Committee minutes, June 18, 2026 (adoption, 5–0)
  4. Township Committee minutes, April 16, 2026 (origin of the item)
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