Howell just banned data centers — it’s the 33rd NJ town to do it

I wrote a few weeks ago about Manchester Township residents fighting a possible AI data center near the Pinelands, and I said then that towns are going to keep having this fight because the demand behind it isn't going away. Howell Township just proved the point.

Howell's all-Republican council voted unanimously on August 18 to ban data centers throughout the township, amending its zoning code to prohibit them in every district. The council had already introduced the ordinance back on July 14. Mayor John Leggio and the rest of the council backed it, and residents at the public hearing were firmly in favor. According to Climate Revolution Action Network New Jersey, the Gen-Z climate advocacy group that's been pushing for these bans statewide, Howell is now the 33rd municipality in New Jersey to prohibit data centers outright.

This town's already been through this fight once

Howell isn't new to this. Back in December, residents successfully halted a proposed $1 billion data center after more than 200 people packed a community panel to hear experts break down the project's energy demand and grid impact. The developer withdrew, and the township passed a six-month moratorium while it worked out a permanent ordinance. Before that, Howell spent 2022 and 2023 fighting off warehouse proposals, including one 200,000-square-foot project on Victory Road that a Monmouth County judge ordered approved over the planning board's own rejection. One resident who spoke at the meeting put the stakes in blunt terms: data centers are "ten times worse than any warehouse that could be built in town."

SEE ALSO: Manchester wants a data center ban. I get it. But then where?

Howell isn't the only one this week

Jersey City became the 34th municipality to ban data centers just days after Howell, voting unanimously to prohibit them in the city's industrial zones. Between the two towns, and the roughly 30 others that came before them, more than 1 million New Jersey residents now live somewhere data centers are simply off the table. Warren Township, Sayreville, Bayonne, and Neptune Township have all taken similar action recently, and Cinnaminson, Jackson, North Brunswick, and South Brunswick all have bans awaiting a second reading.

Governor Sherrill announced her own plan back in May aimed at holding data centers accountable while still positioning the state to compete in AI, including fair-share infrastructure rules and statewide standards for how towns negotiate with developers. That plan is still working its way through the process. In the meantime, one town at a time, New Jersey is answering the question on its own.