Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 41, ZONING AND LAND USE REGULATIONS, REVISED GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, 2000, AS AMENDED AND SUPPLEMENTED, 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” AS SET FORTH THEREIN.
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WHEREAS, Title 41, Zoning and Land Use Regulations of the Revised General Ordinances of the City of Newark, New Jersey, 2000 has limited provisions dealing with data centers and lacks specific standards regarding that use; and
WHEREAS, for purposes of this Resolution, “Data Center” shall mean a facility whose primary services are the storage, management, and processing of digital data and that is used to house computer and network systems, including associated components such as servers, network equipment and appliances, telecommunications and data storage systems, systems for monitoring and managing infrastructure performance, Internet-related equipment and services, data communications connections, environmental controls, fire protection systems, and security systems and services; and
WHEREAS, technological progress or investment is beneficial, but it must not come at the expense of the health, safety, and welfare of the City and its residents, and must occur in a planned and environmentally sustainable manner that protects the long-term interests of the City of Newark and its residents; and
WHEREAS, the development of data centers in the City poses unique and significant implications for the health, safety, and welfare of Newark, its residents, and its neighborhoods, including concerns over electrical grid capacity and reliability, noise concerns from generators and cooling equipment, air quality, development density, and compatibility with surrounding uses; and
WHEREAS, there is a national trend in data center expansion, with concentrated adverse impacts in already overburdened lowincome and environmental justice communities...
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