New Brunswick city council officials have canceled plans for an artificial intelligence data center following a strong community response at a recent meeting. The site will now be developed as a public park instead.

The proposed facility covered 27,000 square feet — significantly smaller than the average New Jersey data center, which exceeds four times that size. Many residents expressed concerns about increased electricity and water bills due to the high energy consumption and cooling requirements of such facilities.

Ben Dziobek of the Climate Revolution Action Network stated, “A data center in New Brunswick was canceled tonight when hundreds of residents showed up.” He added, “When fight big tech and private equity we win.” Dziobek also said his group would continue fighting against data centers across New Jersey, adding, “We say a big f you to Big Tech.”

Bruce Morgan, president of the New Brunswick NAACP, stated, “Many people did not want this in their neighborhood. We don’t want these kinds of centers that’s going to take resources from the community.” He thanked the council for “scrapping” the data center.

Council President Manuel Castaneda announced the cancellation during Wednesday night’s meeting, where hundreds of residents gathered with signs reading “No data center!” The crowd responded with applause and cheers.

The city noted it was uncertain whether PSE&G still required a new data center at the location. This has raised questions about potential declines in demand for such facilities in New Jersey.

Dziobek emphasized environmental impacts, saying, “The water usage of this facility will be off the charts!” He explained that the development proposal had originally been intended as housing and parks but was later revised to include a data center without adequate community consultation.

In related news, police arrested one man during a public meeting in an Oklahoma town over a proposed data center after residents raised concerns about water usage and infrastructure demands.