Data Center Moratorium Proposed in Orangetown

Many concerned citizens came out to the Orangetown town board on the evening of June ninth to voice their support for a proposed moratorium on the construction of new data centers in Orangetown. The moratorium would apply to all proposals for data center construction that come to Orangetown after it is put in place. It would not apply to existing proposals for the construction of new data centers in Orangetown, such as the Databank’s Phase 2 expansion. This comes on the heels of a recent bill proposing a state-wide moratorium on the construction of new data centers. The law passed through the State Assembly and the New York House of Representatives and awaits the signature or veto of Governor Hochul. 

Orangetown has a history with data centers that goes back to 2009, when the Bloomberg data center was approved. Since then, four more data centers have been constructed in Orangetown, bringing the total to five. Residents have reported noise and property encroachment in the years since the first data center was built. The second phase of Databank’s data center construction is planned to be built on the shores of Lake Tappan, an essential reservoir for much of the lower Hudson Valley and North Jersey.

Members of the Data Center Crisis Coalition came to the meeting, along with Orangeburg residents, to voice their concern about Databank’s second phase. David Rosen leads the group, which spans both New York and New Jersey. He and his coalition say that the proposed moratorium should apply to the Databank phase 2 project. Ms. Fan, a Bergen County Resident, says that the noise from the existing Bloomberg data center is relentless and typically exceeds 75 to 80 decibels. She says that the Bloomberg data center makes noise for 8 hours a day on Thursdays and Saturdays, starting at 7:30 in the morning. When an inspector from the buildings department came out to inspect the noise, she said he came on a Tuesday when the data center was quiet. When she spoke at the meeting, she played an audio recording of what it sounds like in her home when the data center is making noise for the town board. Supervisor Kenny asked Ms. Fan to send her the recording. 

Supervisor Kenny emphasized to the attendees that the decision to halt the Databank’s second phase lies with the planning board, and urged those in attendance to be present at their meeting as well. In regard to the moratorium, she said that a moratorium would allow the town to learn more about data centers and draft a law that outlines what data center construction would look like moving forward. The town of Orangetown is collaborating with AKRF, a consulting firm based in White Plains, NY, to draft the moratorium. Supervisor Kenny also stated that a public hearing would need to be held, but a date was not set.

The town also heard a presentation from Alexander Property Holdings on the construction of apartments and townhouses at 155 Greenbush Road in Orangeburg. The development would see 138 one-to-two-bedroom apartments across two buildings and 15 three-bedroom townhouses. The presenters said the units would be rentals, but did not outline the proposed cost to rent.