Project Timeline

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.

Onyx forms a joint venture with Machine Investment Group and purchases the former Merck property at 2000 Galloping Hill Road (Block 81 Lot 1.01) for $187.5 million, rebranding it as the “Northeast Science & Technology Center” (NEST).

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.

Ordinance 2024-15 amended the Redevelopment Plan to list data centers as a permitted principal use on the site. This decision was made based on a 13 year old Master Plan that is legally required to be updated every 10 years. This single step resolved the central land-use question, and it happened before significant public opposition had formed. The plan makes redevelopment contingent on the execution of a Redevelopment Agreement with a Designated Redeveloper, among other requirements.

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.

Redevelopment counsel invoice references the review, execution, and transmission of a non-disclosure agreement. However, the specific parties involved and the nature of this or any other NDA have not yet been identified, as the borough Clerk and attorney redacted the information.

Borough approves Onyx’s subdivision application #25-002, splitting the 2000 Galloping Hill Road NEST property into two separate lots. One portion of the property becomes Lot 1.0101, while the NEST 11 building and adjacent vacant land becomes Lot 1.0102. This created the parcel later acquired by CoreWeave.

Hearing notice for site plan app #25-003 (conversion of NEST 11 into data center) mailed to property owners within 200 feet of NEST campus which included 67 households in Union, 12 businesses in Kenilworth, and 0 Kenilworth residential homes.

In May 2025 the governing body adopted Resolution 25-129, conditionally designating a redeveloper, an Onyx corporate entity, Kenilworth Corporate Properties Urban Renewal LLC, for the parcel, subject to entering a Redevelopment Agreement within a set deadline.

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. The borough approves CoreWeave’s site plan application #25-003 to repurpose NEST 11 into a data center and build 108k sq ft of additional infrastructure (chiller platform and 31-generator utility yard). CoreWeave was not the Designated Redeveloper or the owner of the property and no Redevelopment Agreement was in place at this time. This is in violation of Local Redevelopment and Housing LawN.J.S.A. 40A:12A and the borough’s own redevelopment plan rules, sections 3.A and 3.I.

CoreWeave submits permit #25000234 for the conversion of NEST 11 into a data center. Onyx informs the borough they will be selling a portion of the property to CoreWeave but nonetheless requests the borough to continue negotiating a Redevelopment Agreement.

Borough attorney informs the mayor that CoreWeave is buying the vacant portion of the NEST campus and intends to develop two more data centers on it. The sale has not yet been finalized, and the full scope of plans are not disclosed publicly.

CoreWeave’s purchase of Lot 1.0102 (NEST 11 and adjacent vacant land) for $322 million is publicized. Onyx retains ownership of Lot 1.0101. Borough later adopts resolution #25-187, authorizing a retroactive funding agreement with CoreWeave even though they are not the designated Redeveloper and there is no Redevelopment Agreement.

Borough counsel reports that CoreWeave has posted development escrow, is preparing to begin demo work, and is “moving quickly.” Change of Contractor forms filed and the borough approves permit #25000234. Project is fast-tracked even though CoreWeave is not the designated Redeveloper and there no Redevelopment Agreement.

Borough officials confirm permits have been processed and work on Lot 1.0102 has begun despite expiration of Redeveloper Designation. CoreWeave submits a preliminary PILOT application and registers a new entity named CW Grosbeaks Nest Urban Renewal LLC. Project advances despite absence of Redevelopment Agreement.

Borough officials receive a proposed future map of the full project scope, depicting four new subdivisions with two additional data centers and a large substation situated on the currently vacant land within Lot 1.0102. This is significant evidence of plans for future expansion and reinforces the borough’s awareness of the full project scope.

Borough passes resolution #25-231, naming CW Grosbeaks Nest Urban Renewal LLC the Designated Redeveloper for Lot 1.0102 and requiring the borough to enter into a Redevelopment Agreement within 120 days. CoreWeave testifies the data center will create 30-40 jobs and deliver 40-50 megawatts of computing power.

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.

Borough passes ordinance #2025-07 amending the nuisance code to allow for commercial construction on Sundays. Amendment also sets the new standard for noise violation as “plainly audible” at 50+ feet into neighboring residential properties.

CoreWeave submits major subdivision app #26-002 proposing to split Lot 1.0102 into four new separate lots and to later improve these lots with data centers. This is consistent with the future campus map and informal plans previously supplied to the borough.

Class-action lawsuits are filed accusing CoreWeave of securities fraud, overstating its infrastructure capacity, and concealing severe data center construction delays. The mayor later receives an article about the potential risks surrounding the company.

A borough official confirms to Moody’s that CoreWeave intends to subdivide the property into four lots for development of additional data centers. Also noted is an expectation that NEST 11 data center will become operational in June 2026, although previous public reporting indicated early 2027.

CW Grosbeaks Nest Urban Renewal LLC’s designation as redeveloper of Lot 1.0102 expires without a Redevelopment Agreement but is extended an additional sixty days by the mayor. The new deadline to execute a Redevelopment Agreement is 4/13/2026.

Borough council is informed that CoreWeave will be advancing a two-phase project that began with NEST 11 and will include the vacant land to follow. This is consistent with prior records showing CoreWeave plans to construct additional data centers on the vacant land.

Notification of hearing for subdivision app #26-002 mailed to property owners within 200 ft of NEST campus. This did not include any Kenilworth households. Notice states CoreWeave “proposes to later improve the lots with data centers.”

CoreWeave reps supply the mayor with talking points to downplay noise, utility, and environmental concerns. Over the following weeks the borough repeatedly consults CoreWeave rather than fulfilling the public’s requests for independent analysis.

The second redeveloper designation automatically expired because, again, no Redevelopment Agreement had been executed within the deadline set by the borough’s own resolution.

Borough approves CW’s subdivision app #26-002, splitting Lot 1.0102 into four new separate 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. During public hearing, planning board declines to answer questions about data centers or the subdivision’s purpose, even though plans for additional data centers are noted on the subdivision application, hearing notice, and other borough records.

Borough began soliciting PR firms for positive messaging help in response to growing public concerns about the data center project. This included MAD Global Strategy, who was previously involved in a controversial campaign to privatize water utilities in the city of Rahway. Public records suggest CoreWeave pays for the PR firm through the professional’s escrow, violating N.J.S.A. 40:55D-53.1 and 40:55D-53.2.

Council provided with talking points that include a false claim about the NEST 11 substation being on-site for decades. Mayor publicly makes a misleading claim that the project does not involve new buildout on unused property. The borough’s own records contradict these claims.

Nearby residents report an explosion that came from the NEST property. In public statements and private messages, the mayor claims no knowledge and baselessly dismisses any connection to the data center project. Borough officials offer no public explanations for the incident.

Mayor and council receive a redevelopment timeline detailing “key milestones and expected progress” related to the CoreWeave data center project. The timeline itself is redacted from OPRA records and never shared publicly.

In response to an inquiry from Roselle Park officials specifically asking about CoreWeave’s potential expansion plans, Kenilworth withholds knowledge of CoreWeave’s intention to build additional data centers on the currently vacant land, confirmed by RP officials.

Planning board holds special meeting but provides no clarity regarding the Master Plan’s relation to the data center project. The board chooses to table the vote on the new Master Plan, and the 2011 version remains in effect until further notice.

Borough is advised of reported cases of Legionnaires among workers at the CoreWeave project site, and that OSHA and NJ Department of Health have been notified.

After questions regarding the Redevelopment Agreement previously went unanswered, the borough publicly confirms for the first time that there is no Redevelopment Agreement in place with CoreWeave, 51 days after the expiration. This violates N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-8 and sections 3.A and 3.I of the borough’s Redevelopment Plan. Every single day of construction since then has proceeded with no legally designated redeveloper in place at all. Expiration of the redeveloper designation is not addressed.

The borough is advancing the project despite the missing Redevelopment Agreement, an outdated Master Plan, and other Redevelopment Plan inconsistencies. They reportedly remain in financial and redevelopment negotiations with CoreWeave despite the expiration of the Redevelopment Designation. Borough officials are actively attempting to discredit opposition, restrict public records, and temper public dissent at borough meetings. Applications to begin the anticipated expansion (additional data centers) have NOT been submitted or approved yet. UCRAC has referred the matter for legal review and is pursuing several potential intervention strategies.