STOP100FIDELITY.org

In the wake of the New Brunswick, NJ datacenter ban, it was brought to my attention by members of the North Brunswick community that developers were looking to redevelop one of the largest parcels of open space in town into a warehouse/datacenter complex. The community was given less than one week to respond.

Aside from attending and speaking out at public hearings, my contribution to the community's opposition was in the form of an activist website STOP100FIDELITY.org. It was created to not only inform residents of when the next town council meeting would take place, but it also organized and cataloged all of the relevant information about the redevelopment project such as timelines, flyers, correspondence language, auto-mailers, and all other resources the community gathered.

After successfully deferring the town council's approval of the redevelopment ordinance, I also contributed additional media and design work, including a flyer and a video advertisement demonstrating the community's frustration with the whole affair. The video in particular was picked up, without prompt, by Clean Water Action NJ, an environmental political advocacy organization providing support for our cause.

The website, ultimately, was one small part of a broader grassroots effort organized by the North Brunswick community that not only led to the complete withdrawal of the redevelopment ordinance entirely, but also provided impetus for the introduction of a complete datacenter ban ordinance.

Still, all of the research I provided and the correspondence I had with community members as well as other advocacy groups led me to a much broader conclusion: New Jersey's Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL) is in need of reform. After drafting multiple pieces of local legislation for consideration, I came to learn that none of them would actually survive legal challenge on account of the LRHL's nearly impenetrable jurisdiction, jurisdiction which has been routinely upheld by the New Jersey Supreme Court and multiple appellate courts. There's a broader question of equity at the heart of the LRHL, especially as it pertains to industrial redevelopment projects.

It's for that reason that I published an open letter to the New Jersey Legislature proposing several reforms for the LRHL. While the original purpose of STOP100FIDELITY.org has been achieved, it's taking on a new life in pursuit of those reforms and as a show of solidarity for the dozens of New Jersey towns that are fighting their own over-industrialization and datacenter battles.