Russo Gets Approval for NJ Data Center Project

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An aerial view of the site of the Somerset Technology Park, a new data center project from Russo Development in central New Jersey, including an illustration of a planned data center

Russo Development has gained approval to move ahead with Somerset Technology Park, a planned data center campus in Somerset County, New Jersey. The site near I-287 among a cluster of data center properties about 35 miles from midtown Manhattan is the company's ninth data center development in New Jersey.  Russo expects to begin site development activities "in early 2012."

The property is a greenfield site that Russo says can support more than 1.3 million square feet in multiple facilities, and features electrical power capacity of  100 megawatts from multiple 69kV feeds.  The site is also within a half mile of two large water plants providing capacity or chilled water cooling. Russo has designed the complex to meet the security needs of Russo’s clients in the financial services industry, with enhanced berms and landscaping, perimeter fencing, and security gates with guard houses.

"From our past work with very knowledgeable clients, we have learned the most proficient ways of addressing their needs," said Doug Bartels, Vice President – Development. “We were able to design a project that discreetly fits into the Township’s development strategy while still encompassing our future tenant’s site and security needs."

New Jersey is one of the most active data center markets in the country. The state’s data center has traditionally focused on colocation facilities and single-tenant data centers in northern counties adjacent to Manhattan and the Wall Street companies that drive demand. But the Garden State’s data center geography has grown to  include a growing market for wholesale data center space in central New Jersey, where companies like Digital Realty Trust (DLR) and DuPont Fabros Development (DFT) are building new capacity.

"In our current technology and data driven climate, efficiencies are continuously evolving and improving," said Mike Pembroke, Senior Vice President – Leasing & Marketing. "A newly designed purpose built data center at Somerset Technology Park provides the opportunity to design a facility that will take advantage of the latest in energy efficient design while being located less than 35 miles from Midtown Manhattan."

Russo Development's projects include a huge new data center for NYSE Euronext in northern New Jersey. Russo has also done build-to-suit data centers for Credit Suisse, JP Morgan Chase, and SunGard Availability Services.