Newark NJ proposed one-year data center moratorium (2026)

Resolution (sponsor Ald. Anibal Ramos Jr., North Ward) passed at the Sept. 9, 2026 council meeting: supports a 12-month moratorium on development or expansion of data centers; notes data centers are currently permitted in the Industrial, Airport and Port Area Districts under Table 4-3 (41:4-3) of Title 41; calls for applicant requirements to protect residents against utility-cost increases (including infrastructure investment) and for closed-loop chillers/water-efficient cooling; council also approved a referral to the planning board regarding implementation. Ordinance (sponsor Councilman Patrick Council, South Ward): 'An ordinance amending Title 41, Zoning and Land Use Regulations ... to establish a one year moratorium on the development of data centers in the City of Newark, and to amend the definition of data center'; would bar acceptance of applications, permits, licenses, conditional use requests, rezoning petitions or certificates of occupancy for data centers larger than 5,000 sq ft; central planning board, environmental commission, housing department and administration to study and report before expiry. Per Patrick Council, the ordinance was returned to the administration because a resolution referring it to the planning board must come first. Advocacy context: South Ward Environmental Alliance and Ironbound Community Corporation campaign for a one-year moratorium. NOT ESTABLISHED: vote count on the resolution; ordinance number; first-reading date. The Sept. 9 resolution is independently confirmed by Insider NJ (Sept. 9, 2026: 'The Municipal Council today approved a resolution sponsored by Ramos expressing support for a temporary moratorium'; calls on the Baraka administration to develop applicant requirements). Ordinance details (5,000 sq ft threshold, study bodies, return to administration) rest on Patch alone. Note: TAPinto's headline 'Newark Sets 12-Month Moratorium...' overstates the non-binding resolution; no binding moratorium is in force.