001[music] >> Welcome to the Clark Planning Board meeting, Thursday, June 4th, 2026. This meeting is in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231, PL 1975, as adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by mailing the annual schedule of meetings to the Star-Ledger, the Leader, and Union County Local Source, by posting such annual meeting schedule on the bulletin board in Town Hall reserved for such announcements, the official website of the Township, ourclark.com, in compliance with PL 2025, C72, effective March 1st, 2026, and the proper filing of said notice. Formal action may be taken at this meeting. This meeting is a judicial proceeding. Any questions or comments must be limited to issues that are relevant to what the board may legally consider in reaching a decision, and decorum appropriate to a judicial hearing must
002be maintained at all times. I will take roll call. Mayor Albanese? >> Here. >> Mr. Olwerck? >> Here. >> Councilwoman Menedi? >> Here. >> Mr. Koch? >> Here. >> Mr. Stein- Steinberg? >> Here. >> Mr. Altman? Mr. Greep? >> Here. >> Mr. Grankowski? >> Here. >> Mr. Gershner? >> Here. >> Mr. Cecil? >> Here. >> Mr. Alongi? >> Here. >> Mr. Fischer? >> Here. >> Okay, can we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which >> Has everyone had an opportunity to review the minutes of our May 7th, 2026 meeting? Any questions, comments? Being said, I make Being seeing none, I make a motion to approve. I have a second. >> Second. >> Thank you, Bill. All in
003favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Abstentions? Correspondence. All correspondence available for the public to review at Town Hall at their leisure. As such, I make a motion to dispense of reading with the correspondence. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, uh Matt. Um all in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstentions? Resolution more moralization. Target Corp, 45 Central Avenue, block 70, lot 28.01, the drive-up expansion. Has everyone had a chance to review the resolution? Any questions or comments? Seeing none, I make a motion to approve the resolution. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> You were first. No, Lance. >> but we got two seconds. >> Who second? >> Lance. Take a roll call. >> Mayor Albanese? >> Yes. >> Mr. Olbrick? >> Yes. >> Mr. Councilman Minetti? >> Yes.
004>> Mr. Couch? >> Yes. >> Mr. Steinberg? >> Yes. >> Mr. Grib? >> Yes. >> Mr. Grankowski? >> Yes. >> Mr. Gerstner? >> Yes. >> Mr. Cecil? >> Yes. >> Mr. Lonchi? >> Yes. >> All right. Resolution approved. Move on to public session. I make a motion to open the meeting to the public. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Are you, Gary? >> Yes. >> All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Anyone from the public wishing to come forward to address any matter that is pertinent before the planning board, please do so. State your name and address. >> Hi, good evening. Dilia Collins-Clark. I just have a quick question regarding um all the building on Westfield Avenue and the proposed building and the master plan. Um I haven't had a chance to look
005at it, but what year does the master plan end? Does it have an end year? I mean, it has a beginning year, but is it uh a decade, two decades? >> It's not decades. I think every 5 years has to be evaluated and every 10 years done. >> And within that master plan, is there a traffic study? >> There's a I believe there's a traffic component of it. >> Okay, and that's available through OPRA? >> It should be available, yes. >> Okay. All right, because I was looking and I brought this up at the township meeting the other evening and I did look up the mileage between Brandt Avenue and Madison Hill Road and it's a little bit over half a mile between those and if everything goes the way that these builders want to
006have done, hopefully, well, not hopefully, but it appears that there will be seven projects happening within that less a little bit more than a half a mile and I don't know how these time frames work with the four houses across the street from Quick Check. You know, they were brought to you guys for proposal of condemnation. And I know they have to go through certain channels with the town. But I just wonder, you know, I did bring up the congestion again on Westfield Avenue and it's really horrific if you have to go through it daily. Thank you. >> You're welcome. Hey, >> [clears throat] >> anyone else wishing to come forward discuss matters with the planning board? Seeing none, I make a motion to close the meeting to the public. Do I have a second?
007>> Second. >> Gary, that was you again? Or Matt? Okay. All right, any new business? >> I have something. >> Yes, Bill. >> So I know I did email with Jim on on this a little bit on on data centers and there's been a lot in other towns going on with with these data centers and things like that and I just think that we should look as a board as to what we can do in order to work on ordinances or or so forth with the council to if these come to be to help with the planning board on things that might be against or for. I know from Jim that Jim Jim did educate me on some of the benefits of them to the town with tax wise and so forth and I agree
008with those, but I'd like to see us be like a little bit proactive around some of the things with electricity, water and so forth. Um I just as a board so that we don't have a mess if if one of these were to come here and I don't think one would come anytime soon. I don't think there's any room here, but just to be more proactive than reactive. >> What data center? >> Data centers, yeah. >> Jim, may or is there anything the board could do or >> Um, so as I um discussed with Mr. Gibbs, right now, you know, we've been evaluating it. You know, some of the surrounding communities to what has ample um property to build something like this. We don't have that type of property here that's got that going to,
009you know, make that move. A couple of things, you know, the electric supply, the water supply, those are, you know, state requirements. Um, so they would be evaluated that the, you know, PSE&G could bring ample electric to those areas. Um, there's been a lot of uh discussion around having their own uh self-generation of electricity. Uh, similar to what Microsoft did, um, Google did. You know, there's a lot of, um, I think Microsoft bought Three Mile Island or part of Three Mile Island. So, I mean, there's other things that are being done on the outside. And then the final is the governor just came out with her four-point plan. And as part of her four-point plan, it, you know, they're looking at all of these things. So, while it is definitely something that we need to
010monitor, it's, in my opinion right now, it's not something that we need to address as a an outright restriction um, because, you know, while there are those, you know, downsides from an electric standpoint, which would be a New Jersey um, you know, statewide type of issue um, from PGM being able to supply the electric, it's not just um, it's not something that, you know, on our on our backs to determine that. Um, you know, in Kenilworth, they're they're dealing with the electric in a in a whole different way. You know, they're going to have a some on-site, some um, energy coming from the outside. And, you know, until I think the state comes up with, you know, what their restrictions are going to be, what their requirements are, what their approval criteria is going to
011be, what type of assessments that are going to need to be made. I do think it's premature to say we're going to come out and have an outright ban on something like this. But, as I, you know, discussed with Mr. Gibbs, you know, it's something that we will definitely continue to monitor. We were monitoring this, you know, I I replied to him within, whatever, 2 hours or so when the email. It's not something we weren't thinking about and I had some discussions with counsel, you know, prior to this on, well, my suggestion for a best approach. But, it's definitely something that every member here on the board should, you know, be aware of. And, um, as we get closer, we get a better understanding of what the the governor's true intention is and true process
012is going to be, then we should, you know, make that type of decision. >> I agree, Bill. I think it's a good point to bring up. Um, I almost read an article, I believe I read an article that the governor might even ban new construction of them, which would mean anything. We we wouldn't need to do anything. However, if she doesn't push it that far, I think we should re-discuss that. >> Yeah. >> Well, also, I believe that, uh, today, I don't know the specifics of it, that the president came out with requirements for, uh, these facilities to provide their own energy. And, um, as a matter of fact, Google set aside a very large amount of money, uh, for capital improvements to cover this. And, as Jim mentioned, you got Microsoft buying, activating Three
013Mile Island. And, uh, so, some of the AI stocks are coming down because because of that. Well, Google did, came down 3.46% I believe today. >> Anything else, Bill? >> Nope, that's it. >> Any other new business? Old business, um, I guess we had discussed at the last meeting about having the planner pro- provide a summary on the, uh, development that's occurred so far. He's not here. So, I guess maybe we can discuss it at the next meeting. Any other old business? Okay, our next meeting Our next meetings will be July 9th, August 6th, and September 3rd. I make a motion to adjourn the meeting. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Bill. All in favor? >> Aye. >> Any opposed? >> [clears throat] >> Meeting adjourned. >> [music] [music]