KENILWORTH — Protests have continued in Kenilworth concerning the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) data center in the borough, echoing similar sentiments throughout the county and state. In Pope Leo’s first encyclical on Monday, May 25, the Catholic leader focused much of his address on the rapid advancement and implementation of artificial intelligence, theorizing tech companies are becoming more powerful than governments and warning the AI economy is akin to slavery and will create “second-class humans.”
Protesters took the streets on Tuesday, May 19, before a scheduled Kenilworth Planning Board meeting at Borough Hall. The $1.8 billion, 400,000 square-foot Core Weave AI data Center would be built on the Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) campus. The facility is expected to become fully operational in 2027 and will power intensive cloud and AI workloads. This location, 200 Galloping Hill Road, is the former site of Merck & Co. headquarters.
One of the biggest concerns for the public is not the information being presented at these meetings, but rather the questions that are not being answered.
“At the May 19 Planning Board meeting, there was a presenter for this whole master plan,” said Jordan Planno, a Union County resident, in an interview with LocalSource on Monday, May 25. “And every question that was asked wasn’t on the agenda and we have not gotten a single answer. They are not telling us anything we are concerned about. Al, they are telling us, is going to be great for innovation. There is something called a redevelopment agreement and, no, we don’t have one yet.
“We requested a public documentation about one, but haven’t received it. Everything is time sensitive. These agreements that protect Kenilworth are not being put into place.”
The AI Data Center Site Selection Transparency Act of 2026, a bill that would ensure communities are informed, before deals are finalized, of plans to build AI data centers in their neighborhoods, providing the opportunity for grassroots input, was introduced by U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver.
Key requirements of this bill would be:
- developers must publicly disclose proposed locations at least 180 days before any definitive step toward development;
- mandatory disclosure of electricity usage, water consumption and environmental impacts, verified by independent third-party analysis;
- restricts public entities from utilizing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to hide developments from local residents; and
- mandates multilingual, accessible public outreach through social media, direct mail and signage.
Panno, who said she wanted to shine a light on the development of an AI data center company in Kenilworth and also created a video on TikTok with more than 85,000 views and a petition with almost 8,000 signatures by people in the community opposing it, said too much was being left in the dark and unanswered.
“The guy who was presenting the master plan said it’s been redeveloped so an AI data center can come in,” said Panno. “The master plan has not been updated since 2011. Right now, the master plan is just a draft. Environmental studies, Good Neighbor Plans; not one of these are in place. They are working on a 15-year-old plan for a 2026 tech company. Innovation, in my opinion, is an umbrella term meant to include anything in this company. The main concern is these plans are specifically designed and zoned for that data center, but they don’t have anything in place to protect Kenilworth from this company.”
Coreweave requires approximately 250 megawatts (MW) of power and will feature advanced cooling and substation upgrades built by Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G). The upgrade by Merck is necessary because the power grid that was left behind when they left only has a maximum capacity of about 25-30 megawatts
“PSE&G is reinforcing its power grids throughout all of New Jersey,” said Panno. “The Infrastructure Advancement Program (IAP) is only for four years, 2022-2026, and then it’s done.”
Other communities have expressed their concerns as well.
In her Mayor’s Message for Thursday, May 21, Cranford Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty said, “We know many of our residents are concerned about the CoreWeave AI Data Center being built in Kenilworth. The township did not have advance notice of that project and we were just as surprised as many of you. We also share many of your concerns, which is why we decided to review our current Land Use Ordinance to make certain such a facility is not permitted to be built in Cranford.
“Commissioners discussed amending the existing ordinance at Tuesday’s (May 19) workshop meeting and the unanimous opinion was to take the necessary action to prevent AI data centers as a permitted use in Cranford. We felt so strongly about not permitting this use in Cranford that we decided not to delay and will introduce an amendment at the next official meeting on June 8.
“Unfortunately, a candidate for Township Committee is telling residents this Township Committee supports an AI data center in Cranford. That is false. It is a lie and has never been a consideration by the Township Committee.
“Let’s stick to the facts and the truth about such an important and emotional issue. Thank you to the residents who shared your concerns. We value your input.”
Meanwhile, Kenilworth’s Master Plan calls AI a “major employment opportunity.” Residents, however, will want it to be done properly.
On Tuesday, May 19, three Democrat legislators announced plans for a bill to end the AI data center tax credit that former Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, launched in 2024. Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy, Assemblyman Balvir Singh and state Sen. Joe Cryan say the data center in Kenilworth received $250 million from that state program to build there.
Despite repeated phone calls, LocalSource was unable to speak with Kenilworth Mayor Linda Karlovitch.
“I just want to get the truth,” said Panno. “This is not a political debate. We’re all in the same boat. It’s going to affect you the same way.
Photo Courtesy of Onyx Equities
