Our towns deserve the full picture.
A 250-megawatt AI data center is being built on the former Merck campus in Kenilworth. We gather what the public record shows, so neighbors can understand it and decide for themselves.
Resident-led and nonpartisan. Every figure here traces to a public record.
Who we are
UCRAC formed when a group of Kenilworth residents raised concerns about CoreWeave, an AI cloud company backed by Nvidia, building a large data center on the former Merck campus. Many neighbors felt blindsided, and the more we looked, the more questions went unanswered. We believe decision-makers should be held accountable, and that the rules should not bend simply because a large corporation's application is on the table.
Residents have asked dozens of questions about water, power, pollution, and environmental impact, and have not received clear answers. That gap, the lack of transparency, is what brought us together. The short version: a roughly 250-megawatt AI data center, running 24 hours a day, every day, in a town of about 8,000 people.
What's being built on Galloping Hill Road
Where official records disagree with one another, we show the difference rather than hide it. These figures come from borough resolutions, the May 15, 2025 site-plan hearing, state filings, and news reporting.
This is a large-scale facility for training and running artificial-intelligence systems, using specialized high-powered processors that draw enormous electricity and give off intense heat. The 250-megawatt figure reflects that scale. A typical office building runs on a tiny fraction of that power.
A facility like this needs continuous cooling and backup power. The site-plan described 31 standby generators and a yard of 29 chiller units with water tanks. That equipment is what drives the questions neighbors are asking about noise, air, water, and the grid.
The questions we're asking together
A facility this size touches everyday life in measurable ways. These are the concerns residents have brought to public meetings and to a petition that has gathered thousands of signatures.
The electric grid
A 250-megawatt facility draws power on the order of a small city. What does that mean for grid reliability and utility costs across the region, and will the project pay its own way?
Water use
Large data centers use water to cool their equipment. The site-plan included a chiller yard with water tanks. How much water will it draw, and where will it come from?
Noise
Cooling units and generators run continuously. At the May 2025 hearing, decibel limits were discussed but not pinned down. Residents have asked for an independent study at the nearest homes.
Air and generators
The site-plan described 31 standby generators. How often will they run, including for testing, and what emissions limits apply next to a residential neighborhood?
The former lab site
The property is a former pharmaceutical campus. How are stormwater, flood risk, and any environmental obligations tied to the change of use being handled?
Home values
How might a large industrial-computing facility next to homes affect property values and quality of life over time? Residents want the effects tracked against the record.
The story, step by step
Each entry is a documented event. Tap any item to read what the record shows. The order matters: the land-use question was settled early, before most residents knew a data center was proposed.
April 2020Merck announces it will leave the campus+
Merck announced plans to consolidate its New Jersey campuses and vacate the Kenilworth property, which had served as the borough's largest employer. This set the stage for the site's redevelopment.
Feb 2024Borough begins the redevelopment process+
The governing body adopted Resolution 2024-82, directing the Planning Board to study whether the property qualified as an area in need of redevelopment under state law. A public hearing followed in late April 2024.
Sept 18, 2024Data centers added as a permitted use+
Ordinance 2024-15 amended the Redevelopment Plan to list data centers as a permitted principal use on the site. This single step resolved the central land-use question, and it happened before significant public opposition had formed.
Late 2024CoreWeave signs a lease for Building 11+
CoreWeave entered a long-term lease for the entirety of Building 11, a roughly 280,000-square-foot facility, and announced plans to invest over $1 billion to convert it into an AI data center.
Spring 2025Substation and conditional designation+
In April 2025 the Planning Board addressed an on-site substation. In May 2025 the governing body adopted Resolution 25-129, conditionally designating a redeveloper for the parcel, subject to entering a Redevelopment Agreement within a set deadline.
May 15, 2025The site-plan hearing+
At a special Planning Board meeting, CoreWeave's senior vice president and engineer presented the project under oath. The testimony described "roughly 40 employees," an interest in starting with the first 40 megawatts, and an ambition to "land and expand" and "bring this to scale." The building was described as about 247,000 square feet on a 36-acre parcel.
August 2025CoreWeave buys the site+
CoreWeave shifted from tenant to owner, purchasing the data center parcel and an adjacent parcel from the prior owners for about $322 million.
Sept – Oct 2025First designation lapses; a new one is adopted+
The first redeveloper designation lapsed in September 2025 because no Redevelopment Agreement had been signed. In October 2025 the governing body adopted Resolution 25-231, conditionally designating a newly formed entity, again subject to signing a Redevelopment Agreement within a deadline.
Nov 2025State tax credit accepted+
CoreWeave accepted a $250 million state tax credit under New Jersey's Next NJ AI program, the first award under that program. The credit is conditioned on creating 143 jobs over ten years, each paying at least 120 percent of the county median wage.
April 13, 2026Second designation lapses+
The second redeveloper designation automatically expired because, again, no Redevelopment Agreement had been executed within the deadline set by the borough's own resolution.
April 28, 2026The parcel is subdivided into four lots+
The Planning Board approved splitting the 36-acre parcel into four new lots. The subdivision application described the site as being developed for a data center and related uses, including a chilling station and an electrical utility yard. The memorializing resolution was adopted June 23, 2026.
May – June 2026Master Plan review continues+
The Planning Board took up a comprehensive update to the borough Master Plan, with public hearings on the elements that will shape future development on the campus.
Facts from the borough's own records
These are documented facts drawn from the borough's own resolutions and hearings, presented without interpretation, so you can read them and ask your own questions.
No Redevelopment Agreement has been executed
The Redevelopment Plan makes a redeveloper's designation conditional on signing a Redevelopment Agreement with the borough. As of June 2026, that agreement has not been signed for this parcel.
The redeveloper designation has lapsed twice
Resolutions 25-129 and 25-231 each set a deadline to sign that agreement, and each provided that the designation would automatically expire if the deadline passed. Both deadlines passed without an executed agreement, in September 2025 and again in April 2026.
The records describe more than one building
The borough's designation resolutions describe "approximately 550,000 square foot data center(s)," in the plural, while the single building now being converted is about 247,000 square feet.
The parcel was split into four lots
On April 28, 2026, the 36-acre parcel was subdivided into four new lots. The application described developing the site for a data center and related uses.
Several figures from the record do not line up with a single 40-megawatt building. The table below places the project as described next to the same figures multiplied across four similar lots. The right-hand column is simple arithmetic, not a statement of CoreWeave's plans, and is offered only to show why residents have asked whether the full build-out is larger than one facility.
Part of a statewide conversation
Kenilworth is not alone. As AI data centers spread across New Jersey, residents and state leaders are asking how these projects should be reviewed, powered, and held accountable.
The state is reconsidering the tax program
The Next NJ AI credit that funded this project has drawn scrutiny in Trenton, with proposals to limit or repeal it and calls for data centers to pay for their own electricity.
Community benefit agreements are on the table
State leaders have proposed requiring large data centers to sign community benefit agreements and to take on more of their own infrastructure costs.
Other NJ towns face the same questions
Communities including Vineland and New Brunswick have seen similar proposals and similar public debate over notice, scale, and local impact.
We break it down on TikTok & Instagram
Short, plain-language videos that walk through the public record one piece at a time. Here are our latest posts from both platforms.
Upcoming meetings & rallies
Public meetings are where decisions get made and where residents can speak. Come early for the rally, then stay for the meeting. Everyone is welcome.
Kenilworth Town Council Meeting
Kenilworth Planning Board Meeting
You don't need to be an expert to take part.
Here is where to start. Every signature, every meeting, and every contribution adds to the effort.
Sign the petition
Thousands of neighbors have added their names. It is one of the simplest ways to show the scale of community concern.
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UCRAC is resident-led. A contribution helps cover public outreach and keeping this record up to date.
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Planning Board and Council meetings are open to all. Watch the borough agenda and come to listen or to speak.
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Questions, documents, or want to help organize? Reach the coalition and we will follow up.
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or write to info@ucrac.org
