Attorney, Anand Dash, recently joined Chris DeBello on Issues and Ideas Radio to break down exactly what is happening with the proposed data center in Andover Township. If you care about fair process and transparent government, this interview is a must listen.

The Facts Anand Laid Out

Two ordinances, 2025-15 and 2026-08, quietly changed Andover’s zoning rules to make data centers a “permitted use.” The problem? These changes were never part of the township’s master plan rewrite just months earlier. The word “data center” does not appear anywhere in that plan.

Anand explained that the township then raised the height limit from 50 feet to 65 feet, apparently at the request of a specific developer. That is a classic warning sign of spot zoning, tailoring rules for one property and one company.

The property in question is 248 Stickles Pond Road, the old airport site. It sits near a C1 protected stream, the Pequest River. Yet the ordinances include no conditions on water usage, noise, electricity consumption, or environmental impact.

What the Local Press Is Saying

Mayor Walsh told NJ.com (read the full article here) that the township has been “very, very open.” Open? Then why were residents banned from even saying the words “data center” at a land use board meeting? Why did over 150 people have to pack a township committee meeting just to be ignored and have the entire comittee refuse to answer resident’s questions?

The developer is a Delaware shell company. No site plan has been filed. No property has been purchased. Yet our elected officials are rewriting zoning laws in the dead of night to hand them a sweetheart deal complete with a PILOT tax break that will shortchange our schools for 30 years.

The Deadline Is May 7th

Anand gave the Township Committee until this Thursday, May 7th, to rescind both ordinances. If they refuse, then he will see them in Superior Court.

But lawsuits cost money. Andover Responsible Development is funding this fight, and they cannot do it without you. While not directly affiliated with Andover Responsible Development, we believe in supporting their legal battle to stop this data center.