Cherry Hill Council introduced zoning law change Monday evening that would ban data centers in town.

Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleisher has made it clear that data centers have no place in his town and a change in Cherry Hill's zoning law to ban them was introduced Monday night at a Township Council meeting. 

The Township will join other municipalities in New Jersey that want no part of the data centers — a product of the AI boom and cloud computing — within their borders. They complain the giant centers, which essentially are warehouses filled with computer servers, can deplete water resources, boost electricity rates and bother neighbors with noise.

Fleisher told Council that the change in the zoning ordinance will "protect our community from the potential negative impacts of data centers that communities across the country are experiencing."

This "will prohibit the development of data centers across town. These amendments are designed to protect our neighborhoods and preserve the quality of life our residents deserve and expect," he added.

In June, Fleisher told 70and73.com that the Township had not heard of any data center proposals and that he wanted to keep it that way. "Cherry Hill will not be the guinea pig," Fleisher said in the interview. "We know that the technology is evolving, but my opinion is Cherry Hill does not need to be a testing ground."

The amendment to the Township zoning ordinance was passed by Council on first reading Monday evening. A public hearing will be held July 27 at 7:30 for the second reading, when Council is expected to adopt the law.

"The economic impacts of data centers are limited, with little opportunity for local employment relative to the size of the facilities that are constructed," according to the Council resolution proposing the amendment. "Benefits that a data center can bring to the Township are significantly outweighed by the detrimental impacts," it adds.

Protecting residents' health, safety and general welfare was cited as justification for the ban. It also noted that the prohibition would "conserve natural resources and the environment."

The change in the law would take place 20 days after its adoption.