Developer Filed Data Center Proposal for Bell Works Before Holmdel’s Ban
Holmdel Township enacted a ban on data centers, but a developer, Somerset, filed an application for a 108,000-square-foot data center at Bell Works before the ban's final adoption. This application may proceed due to a legal "time of application" rule and a pre-existing redevelopment agreement. Residents have voiced concerns regarding noise, water use, and electricity rates.
The Holmdel Township Committee in New Jersey unanimously voted on August 11 to enact a ban on data centers within the municipality. However, a developer, Somerset, the owner of Bell Works, had filed an application on July 24 for preliminary and final site plan approval for a 108,000-square-foot, 40-megawatt data center at its Bell Works campus. This application was submitted after the ban was introduced on July 21 but before its final adoption.
Somerset is invoking a state "time of application" rule, arguing that because its application was deemed administratively complete before the ban's final adoption, later zoning changes do not apply. Township attorney Michael Collins confirmed this interpretation, stating that Somerset's application benefits from the zoning prior to the ordinance. Additionally, a 2013 redevelopment agreement for Bell Works explicitly listed data centers as a permitted use on portions of the property, further complicating the ban's application to this specific project.
The proposed "Data Center at Bell Works" would be located in an existing two-story building at 101 Crawford Corner Road and include a generator yard and other site work. The application also seeks minor subdivision and major site plan approval, along with a parking variance. The planning board, which Mayor Rocco Impreveduto described as a quasi-judicial body, will now review the application on its merits. Residents have voiced strong opposition, citing concerns about noise, water usage, groundwater depletion, and rising electricity rates.