FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ben Dziobek, Executive Director, CRAN
M: 732-543-3005 | E: ben@climaterevolutionnj.org
New Brunswick, NJ — In a decisive win for residents, environmental advocates, and community organizers, the proposed 27,000-square-foot AI data center slated for development under the Jersey-Sandford Redevelopment Plan has officially been pulled from the city council docket and the site restored to its original designation as public park space.
The decision came less than an hour into the council meeting after unprecedented public turnout and pressure. The council chambers reached capacity more than 20 minutes before the meeting even began, with hundreds of residents rallying inside and outside City Hall to oppose the project.
Community members cited concerns over environmental impact, energy consumption, water usage, noise pollution, and the broader implications of allowing large-scale artificial intelligence and data infrastructure to expand into residential and public community spaces.
“This is what people power looks like. Hundreds of residents showed up on a weeknight — many coming straight from school or work — and packed the building half an hour before the meeting even began,” said Ben Dziobek, Executive Director of the Climate Revolution Action Network. “This project was being pushed forward without real public buy-in, backed by big tech interests and private equity firms that are trying to expand AI infrastructure into our communities. Residents made it clear that this land should serve the residents of New Brunswick — not corporate tech and private equity oligarchs.”
Data centers, particularly those designed to power artificial intelligence, are among the most energy-intensive facilities in modern infrastructure. Nationally, their rapid expansion has raised alarms around grid strain, increased fossil fuel reliance, and excessive water consumption for cooling systems. In New Jersey, energy rates are already above the national average, and have risen roughly 20 percent over the past two to three years.
Local advocates also warned that placing such a facility in New Brunswick — particularly in a Black and brown working-class neighborhood already facing economic and environmental burdens — would have set a dangerous precedent for future redevelopment projects.
Instead, the land will revert back to park use — preserving green space in a city where accessible public land remains limited. Advocates emphasized that this victory is part of a broader, growing movement pushing back on unchecked tech and data infrastructure expansion across New Jersey.
About Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN)
Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit dedicated to advancing equitable, evidence-based climate policy, building civic power, and mobilizing a diverse generation of advocates to address the climate crisis and related injustices.