Andover bans data centers, Hardyston could be next
Data Centers. The Andover Township Committee unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting data centers in all zoning districts, while Hardyston officials advanced a similar measure that is scheduled for a public hearing and final vote June 24.
| 02 Jun 2026 | 11:24
Andover residents came out against allowing data centers in the township on May 28. (
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At its May 28 meeting, the Andover Township Committee unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting data centers from being built in the town.
Ordinance 2026-13 repealed prior ordinances allowing data centers and amended and supplemented the township’s zoning code to include and designate data centers as a prohibited use in all zones within the township.
Introduced by the committee May 12, the township’s Land Use Board found the ordinance to be consistent with Andover’s master plan at its May 19 meeting. That set the stage for final adoption by the committee last week.
Andover Mayor Tom Walsh said the Township Committee decided to ban data centers following the contentious May 7 meeting addressing the possibility of a data center being built on 90-plus acres off of Route 208 and Stickles Pond Road. Walsh said a data center on that land had the potential to bring in $5 million a year for 30 years as part of a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes).
“Some people were heated and those people were pretty much from out of town,” Walsh said. “I would say attendance was split 60-40 between Andover residents and people from other areas. Many people supported the idea, and many didn’t and I’m not about to tear the town apart over money. This is the best town a person could live in.”
Groups such as Sussex Visibility Brigade, New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America and Climate Revolution Action Network opposed a data center, saying, among other things, that it could be harmful to the environment.
Hardyston could ban data centers June 24
“The first reading of Ordinance 2026-12 was unanimously approved by all five members of the Township Council [on May 27],” Hardyston Township Manager/Planner Carrine Piccolo-Kaufer said via email. “The second reading and public hearing is scheduled for June 24.”
Ordinance 2026-12 amends ordinances 2022-12 and 2025-10 and amends and supplements the zoning code of the Township of Hardyston to designate data centers as a prohibited use in all zones within the township.
This comes after several residents expressed opposition to data centers at the May 11 township council meeting, citing a 64-acre town-owned parcel next to the sewage treatment plant on Route 94 that is zoned for many uses, including a data center.
Hardyston Councilman Brian Kaminski said the township has not had plans to host a data center nor has the town been approached by a developer for such a purpose.
