No one will be able to build a data center in Berkeley Heights under a new ordinance unanimously approved by the Township Council on Tuesday, July 21.

The new law prohibits data centers in every zoning district, including commercial and industrial areas. The vote came after more than an hour of public comment, with residents split over whether the town was acting early or shutting the door on a future economic opportunity.

The debate centered on the former Nokia campus on Mountain Avenue, where officials acknowledged there has been speculation about a potential data center. No formal proposal has been submitted, but council members said they wanted to establish the rules before one arrived.

Township Attorney Scott Salmon said the ordinance was meant to remove uncertainty over whether data centers could already qualify as a permitted use under existing zoning.

Council members who supported the ban pointed to concerns over electricity demand, infrastructure, and the site's proximity to neighborhoods.

"There is no place in Berkeley Heights that isn't next to residential homes," Councilwoman Margaret Illis said during the hearing.

Not everyone agreed the town should move so quickly.

Several residents argued the council was banning a project that doesn't exist without first seeing traffic studies, utility analyses or estimates of potential tax revenue. Resident Tom Maciejewski questioned why the township was acting before any developer had filed an application, while former Councilwoman Jeanne Kingsley said officials should have compared a data center with other possible uses for the Nokia property.

Others urged the council to act now rather than later. Resident Adam Horowitz warned that large data centers can place significant demands on the electric grid and could eventually require new transmission lines serving the area.

The ordinance makes Berkeley Heights one of more than two dozen New Jersey municipalities to restrict or ban data centers. A similar proposal is scheduled for a public hearing in neighboring Summit later this month.

The former Nokia property also appeared on Tuesday night's closed-session agenda for contract negotiations, though the township did not identify the other party or say what was being discussed.