A city at the center of an AI data center frenzy just voted to ban them

Millville, New Jersey voted to ban data centers, making a major proposed project unlikely. The ordinance states that data centers conflict with land use planning objectives, infrastructure capacity, and community character. It also determines that constructing and operating data centers would be detrimental to public health, safety, and welfare. The decision halts the proposed 1.4 gigawatt Millville Energy & Data Center Campus, planned to span more than 60 acres. The vote occurs amid rapid growth of AI data center development in southern New Jersey, driven by proximity to New York and Philadelphia and access to natural gas and transmission networks. Other large projects are planned or underway nearby, including a 300-megawatt facility in Vineland for Microsoft compute. Many residents oppose these facilities due to concerns about water use, utility costs, noise, heat, and quality of life.

"The Millville Board of Commissioners made the decision during a meeting on Tuesday evening, writing in an ordinance that "data centers are incompatible with the City's land use planning objectives, infrastructure capacity, and community character." "The Commissioners therefore determine that the construction and operation of data centers within the City would be detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare," the commissioners said."

"The decision brings to a halt the proposed 1.4 gigawatt Millville Energy & Data Center Campus, which would have spanned over 60 acres. A1 Data Center, the company behind the project, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider."

"Southern New Jersey has emerged as something of a hub for AI data center construction, in part because of its proximity to major cities like New York and Philadelphia and its access to natural gas and transmission networks. Several other data centers have been proposed or are already being built in the area, including a 300-megawatt data center in neighboring Vineland that would supply compute to Microsoft."

"Many Americans a majority of whom are unexcited about AI, according to a recent study are now resisting these massive data centers in their communities. They worry that they could drain their water supply, raise utility bills, cause unwanted noise, raise temperature levels, and impede their quality of life. In its ordinance on Tuesday, the Millville commissioners cited many of these issues, writing that "large"

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