Moorestown council voted on Sept. 23 to appoint New Urban LLC as the conditional redeveloper for property on New Albany Road. (Details at https://bit.ly/PulverizingMOU). The property was contaminated and unusable for many years – though it’s since been remediated – and residential development there is prohibited by the EPA. The previous owner had not paid taxes since the 1980s, so the township foreclosed in 2022 and now owns the property.
Because we also declared it an “area in need of redevelopment,” we now have the ability to set specific standards and requirements for its development. Earlier this year, we issued a request for proposals to develop the property, received five proposals and formed a subcommittee to review those and interview applicants. The subcommittee unanimously recommended the proposal submitted by New Urban LLC to build a data center and solar field, which was presented to the public on June 19. (Visit https://bit.ly/NewUrbanPresentation).
Because the property is an area in need of redevelopment, the township and New Urban must negotiate and execute an agreement as to the property’s use before any development can begin. At the council meeting, members voted on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that formally permits the township staff and New Urban to begin those negotiations. However, the MOU is not a commitment to sell the property to New Urban or a final agreement as to what will be developed there.
We have heard some concerns about the potential impact of a data center on our community, such as noise from diesel generators and cooling fans, excessive water and energy use, excess traffic, and unsightly buildings and solar panels. Although we have addressed many of these issues from the dais, I wanted to reiterate our position for all residents as we begin negotiations:
- We will not enter into a non-disclosure agreement with the developer, and will seek public input on the agreement before we vote to execute.
- The agreement will include strict standards for noise abatement and water usage. We will not permit the use of diesel generators as a back-up power source and will require the use of immersion cooling technology to avoid the noise and excessive water usage of older cooling technologies.
- We will establish appropriate buffer zones between new development and residential areas and require landscaping for visual screening; the facility size and height will be consistent with current BP-1 zoning requirements.
- We will require regular compliance audits to ensure adherence to standards, and periodic reassessment of the agreement to address evolving technologies and community needs.
We also have the option to require additional contributions from the developer for community parks or requiring a percentage of jobs go to local residents. Negotiating this agreement will likely take months, but as we progress, we’ll be announcing public meetings to gather input from residents as on the township’s social media feeds, website and in our monthly newsletter. And, of course, the decision to execute the agreement or not will be made at a public meeting with an opportunity for residents to comment before council votes.
