Local officials in Coldwater asked city staff, utility officials and the city attorney to begin drafting a new on data centers, Don Reid of the Coldwater Daily Reporter writes, with the community opting to pursue a detailed ordinance over a moratorium, which would temporary halt data center development. The planning commission for nearby Girard Township unanimously adopted its own zoning regulation ordinance for data centers, Reid reports. Officials in both communities have said there are no plans for data centers within their jurisdictions.
Updates
As the 1.4 gigawatt data center in Saline Township remains under development, one of the project’s main partners is seeking a 50% reduction in real and personal property taxes for 12 years, MLive’s Jennifer Eberbach reports. While the Saline Township Board of Trustees was slated to vote on the application at its meeting last Wednesday, the board unanimously voted to delay the matter until a special meeting on July 14.
Garfield Township is moving closer to a potential moratorium on data centers, Interlochen Public Radio’s Vivian La reports. Under the Grand Traverse County community’s current zoning ordinance, data centers only require administrative approval, though the planning commission made an official recommendation to the Garfield Township Board to amend the ordinance to allow for moratoriums.
Opponents of a data center proposal in Mason Michigan told WKAR’s Karen Bouffard their effort to recall the mayor will continue, after their signed petitions were rejected by Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum for using different language than what was approved by the county election commission. The group has to start its signature gathering from scratch, with Paula Caltrider of Michigan Citizens Against Data Centers telling WKAR the group will focus on getting the recall onto the May 2027 ballot.
The Dowagiac City Council is slated to host representatives from Hyperscale Data, Inc. at a 6 p.m. meeting Monday at the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center for a presentation on the Hyperscale Data’s plans for its 415 E. Prairie Ronde facility, with the opportunity for public comment and questions. In late June the company announced it had expanded 48.5 acres to expand the facility, nearly doubling the size of its Michigan campus. The data center is the subject of a federal class action lawsuit, alleging the facility emits noise that is interfering with residents’ ability to use and enjoy their property and depreciating property values.
News of Note
WDET’s The Metro spoke with Nicholas Schroeck, dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, about the push to build up data centers in Michigan communities, and what that means for Michigan’s energy grid, residents’ energy bills and whether the public has a say in how these facilities are developed.
Eric Paul Dennis, a research associate with the Citizens Research Council of Michigan focused on infrastructure policy, broke down the nonpartisan research organization’s June report on data centers at a webinar, taking a critical look at the arguments in favor and in opposition to these projects.
