Three Votes, Two Absences: How Manchester, NJ Added Data Centers to a Redevelopment Site, and Repealed Them 5-0 a Year Later

On September 14, 2026, the Manchester Township Council in Ocean County, New Jersey, adopted Ordinance 26-48. It repeals a 2025 ordinance that added data centers as an allowed use on a redevelopment site. The site is along South Hope Chapel Road. It also says data centers are not allowed anywhere in the township. The Council's minutes show a 5-0 vote.

The 2025 ordinance, Ordinance 25-27, was adopted on August 11, 2025. Jersey Shore Online reported that it passed with three yes votes. Two Council members were absent. One of them was Michele Zolezi. She is now Council President. She announced the repeal in August.

No data center application has been filed, according to Mayor Joseph Hankins and Business Administrator Carl Block. But the land is not idle. Block told the Council that the owner, Stavola, has a contract with a developer, Active Acquisitions. He said the developer has full approval for a warehouse complex. The new ordinance takes data centers out of the plan. It keeps the warehouse approval.

At a Glance

• Item: Ordinance 26-48. It repeals Ordinance 25-27 and changes the redevelopment plan for Block 62, Lots 30 and 31.01.
• Vote: 5-0 roll call (Drake, Vaccaro, Wallis, Noonan and Zolezi voted yes), according to the Council's minutes. The township's notice of adoption does not give a tally.
• Dates: Introduced August 24, 2026. Adopted September 14, 2026.
• Site: Jersey Shore Online reported the area is 224 acres at the boundary of Manchester and Jackson townships.
• Owner and developer: Stavola owns the land. Active Acquisitions is the developer under contract, according to Block.
• Effect: Data centers come out of the site's plan. The ordinance also states that data centers are not allowed in the township.
• Effective date: 20 days after the notice is published. The notice does not say when it was published.
• Application status: Hankins and Block said no one has filed one.
• Public response: Crowds overflowed the room on August 10 and August 24. A petition passed 1,550 signatures by August 10. Its page now shows 2,600, with a goal of 3,000.

What the 2025 Ordinance Did

The site is Block 62, Lots 30 and 31.01. A block and lot number is how the tax map names a parcel. The owner asked the township to call the land an "area in need of redevelopment." The Planning Board agreed on August 16, 2022. The Council then made it official by Resolution 22-357.

In New Jersey, a redevelopment plan can set what may be built on a site. Ordinance 26-48 says the plan acts as an overlay zoning district. So the plan's list of uses works like a second layer of zoning.

The Council adopted the first plan by Ordinance 23-35. It adopted a revised plan by Ordinance 24-02 on January 22, 2024. That revision answered comments from the Pinelands Commission, the state agency that oversees land use in the Pinelands region of southern New Jersey. The comments were about Pinelands credits and rooftop solar.

Ordinance 25-27 came next. It says:

"WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Governing Body to revise the plan again to authorize the inclusion of the use of data centers within the Redevelopment Area."

In plain terms: the Council voted to add data centers to the list of uses the plan allows. The first reading was July 14, 2025. Final adoption was August 11, 2025.

Jersey Shore Online reported the votes. On July 14, 2025, Drake, Vaccaro, Wallis and Conniff voted yes, and Zolezi was absent. On August 11, 2025, Drake, Vaccaro and Conniff voted yes, and Wallis and Zolezi were absent. A resident said the same thing at the August 10, 2026 meeting, according to the Council's minutes: "three votes and two absences."

What Changed in August 2026

On August 10, 2026, a crowd filled the Council meeting. Patch reported that residents were reacting to rumors that a developer had approached the town about a data center in the Pine Barrens. Jersey Shore Online said the crowd was large enough to exceed the fire code.

The minutes show Zolezi telling the crowd that no data center project or application was pending. The minutes summarize her as saying data centers are permissible within a specific area, but that this should not be confused with approval. Speakers asked the Council to repeal Ordinance 25-27. Speakers said more than 40 other New Jersey towns had banned data centers.

On August 13, Mayor Hankins posted a statement on the township website. It said: "I totally oppose any data center in our town." He asked the Township Attorney to draft an ordinance. It would remove anything in the code that could allow one.

The Council introduced the repeal on August 24. Patch reported that the crowd chanted "No Data Centers. No Means No." U.S. Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey's 4th District issued a statement against artificial intelligence data centers, according to Patch.

What Ordinance 26-48 Says

The ordinance has seven parts. Section 1 repeals Ordinance 25-27. Section 2 directs the Township Engineer to revise the redevelopment plan to take data centers out. Section 4 is the broad ban:

"SECTION 4. That data centers are not permitted within the Township of Manchester."

Section 7 sends a copy to the Township Planning Board for review. It also goes to the Ocean County Planning Board. The ordinance's opening text says the Mayor and Council "have reconsidered its decision to include data centers in the Redevelopment Area." In plain terms: they changed their minds.

Where the Record Disagrees With Itself

Were data centers allowed or not? Ordinance 25-27 added them to the plan in August 2025. On April 13, 2026, a resident asked the Council about bans. The minutes record Block answering, "They are not permitted." On August 10, 2026, the minutes summarize Zolezi as saying they were permissible within a specific area. WRAT, a New Jersey shore radio station, reported on August 27 that Block said the 2025 ordinance was the only zoning path for such a facility.

Were there talks with a developer? Shore News Network, in a story dated August 10, reported that Block said there were talks with one developer. It said that developer holds approvals for a warehouse complex and is studying whether part of it could become a data center. Jersey Shore Online, on August 11, reported that Block confirmed a developer with warehouse approval was considering the idea. Patch reported on September 14 that Block said no plans had been filed and officials had not held discussions about a data center. The documents do not explain the difference. The two statements may come from different dates.

Was there a June law? Shore News Network also wrote that the township passed a law restricting data centers in June. No June ordinance on data centers appears in the township records Obedio reviewed. The township's own August 26 post says Ordinance 25-27 allowed them.

What the Repeal Leaves Open

Residents asked several questions on September 14. The minutes record the answers.

• Could a developer apply during the 20-day wait? Township Attorney Lauren Staiger told Jersey Shore Online: "technically, yes, however it would have to be a complete application."
• Could a developer still go to the Zoning Board? Staiger answered in the minutes: "yes, they may submit an application." She also said municipal law has limits.
• What if a developer sues? Asked whether residents would learn of a challenge, Staiger said: "It would be a lawsuit."
• Is the term "data center" defined? Residents asked for a clearer definition. Staiger told Jersey Shore Online: "It is clear what a data center is."
• Could the land become open space? Block said the only way to keep it open is to buy it. The owner and developer have a contract and full approval for a warehouse complex.

Timeline

Why It Matters for Site Selectors and Developers

A use added to a redevelopment plan can be taken out by ordinance. Here that took thirteen months, from August 11, 2025 to September 14, 2026. The first vote had three yes votes and two absences. The reversal had five yes votes and a crowd.

The repeal did not remove other approvals. Block described a developer with full approval for a warehouse complex. A developer with an approval for one use should check what the plan allows before changing the use.

The ordinance takes effect 20 days after publication. During that wait, Staiger said, a complete application could technically be filed. Anyone tracking the site should find the publication date.

Manchester is not alone. News 12 reported on September 15 that advocates say at least 90 New Jersey communities have adopted some form of limit on data centers. It also reported that Governor Mikie Sherrill has so far resisted calls for a statewide ban. The Pinelands adds another layer of oversight. In January 2026 the Pinelands Commission told the township it could not certify a different ordinance, Ordinance 24-40. The Council is considering Ordinance 26-9 to repeal it. On September 14 that item was carried to October 13.

The Risks and Obstacles

The effective date is not confirmed. The notice of adoption says the ordinance takes effect 20 days after publication but gives no publication date. Staiger said early October, as reported by Patch.

The revised plan has not been shown. Section 2 directs the Township Engineer to revise the plan. At the September 14 meeting, a resident asked what else would come out, such as generators and solar panels. Staiger said it was all being reviewed.

The warehouse approval stands. Block said the developer has full approval for a warehouse complex. At the September 14 meeting, a resident asked whether a building could be 51 percent warehouse and 49 percent data center. The minutes record Zolezi answering, "Data centers are not allowed," and Staiger adding, "They are not permitted."

A legal challenge is possible. Staiger said a challenge would take the form of a lawsuit. No lawsuit has been reported.

State rules are unsettled. Residents and officials said the state needs a bigger role in choosing where data centers go, according to Jersey Shore Online. No statewide ban has passed.

What to Watch

• The township's publication of the Ordinance 26-48 notice, which sets the effective date 20 days later.
• The revised redevelopment plan for Block 62, Lots 30 and 31.01, which the Township Engineer must file with the Township Clerk.
• Reviews by the Township Planning Board and the Ocean County Planning Board. Section 7 required the Clerk to send them copies. Obedio found no published result.
• The next regular Council meetings on October 13 and October 26, according to the township's meeting schedule.
• Any application or lawsuit from Stavola or Active Acquisitions on the site.
• Whether Governor Sherrill or the Legislature acts on calls for a statewide ban, which she has so far resisted, according to News 12.

This article is factual background and is not legal, financial, or investment advice.