Former Nabisco Site Won't Be A Data Center, Bergen County Mayor Vows

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Reports of a data center coming to Fair Lawn are unfounded, the town's mayor says, after the language in a post by a developer led residents to ask questions.

"The site plan for the redevelopment of the former Nabisco property, as approved by Fair Lawn's Planning Board, only authorizes the construction of a distribution warehouse," said Mayor Christine Cutrone in a statement to residents released on Tuesday.

She added, "To be clear, those approvals do not authorize a data center at the property, and there are no pending applications."

Officials and residents across the country have been speaking out after large computerized processing centers, used to train artificial intelligence, have impacted their communities.

Residents have said the centers are loud and have affected the water supply.

The federal government has said the centers are helpful to train artificial intelligence for important tasks.

But consultants have reportedly warned that the centers in residential areas are politically unpopular.

At least 23 towns in New Jersey, and states including Pennsylvania, have issued or proposed laws to curtail or ban the centers.

Residents Worry

Fair Lawn residents became alarmed this week when a real estate company reportedly noted that the site was available and could be used to store data among other tasks.

The mayor said that the language of the advertisement has since been changed.

"The mayor and Borough Council have consistently stated that we have no interest in making Fair Lawn a destination for data centers," Cutrone said. "The Borough has not sought, encouraged, or approved a data center for the former Nabisco property. The Borough’s focus remains on responsible redevelopment that is consistent with the executed redevelopment agreement between the Borough and the property owner/redeveloper, respects the approvals that have been granted to the property owner/redeveloper, and serves the interests of our residents and the Fair Lawn community."