In a season of immense division, one thing is bringing many Michiganians together ― a collective opposition to data centers.
This was evident last Monday evening at Lyon Township’s Board of Trustees meeting. Discussion of a proposed data center being built in the Oakland County community was not on the agenda, but residents of the township ― and from nearby areas as well as other parts of the state ― showed up to speak against “Project Flex,” packing the Municipal Center until there were no open chairs left.
Township meetings are not typically known for drawing large crowds. Attendance is usually sparse, and public comment is brief. However, during the public comment portion of this meeting, attendees spent more than two hours asking questions, expressing concerns, sharing personal reflections and urging township officials to consider the long-term implications of the proposed data center.
“Nobody is closer to this project than me,” said Mike Schriber, who has lived in the area with his wife since 2004. “It’s 300 yards away from us.”
“We didn’t plan to ever move; now you’re forcing us out of this community. Why am I not important enough to keep in your community?”
Questions like that will be increasingly hard for local officials and policymakers to answer when it comes to data centers in Michigan. But if the organic demand for more transparency and information doesn’t prompt officials to pause and listen, what would?
The 1.8 million-square-foot data center that development company Verrus, in partnership with Walbridge, plans to build on 172 acres near an elementary school in the South Hill Business Park, has been a point of contention for months. Developers claim Project Flex will be cleaner and more sustainable than traditional data centers because of its lower water and energy use and smaller noise output.
Residents, however, have continued to raise concerns about the project’s potential impact on the township.
“No one wants higher utility bills, higher taxes, rust colored water, excessive noise, declining property value, or decisions being made without the people who have to live with them,” Cecil George of New Hudson said at the meeting.
Lyon Township’s Planning Commission conditionally approved a site plan for the data center last September with no public hearing, as data centers are permitted without rezoning.
Since then, public attention has intensified, causing the board to hold off on final approval of the project and enact a 180-day moratorium on other data centers and all other proposed developments 100,000 square feet or greater. Developers of Project Flex have threatened to sue the township if they don’t receive the green light soon.
But, residents allege several steps, including completing a sound study, addressing stormwater and drainage problems and detailing utility and lighting plans, have not yet been taken. Other concerns raised include the project’s closeness to Johnson Elementary School, rising utility costs, potential impacts on property values, strain on the local water supply and health and environmental risks.
“If a developer can obtain approval by threatening legal action under whatever concerns remain unresolved, that creates a precedent that weakens the township’s ability to enforce its own ordinances in future developments,” said Erica Shot, a meeting attendee.
These are residents who have studied the lay of the land, have serious questions about local control and know how to upend the playbook. They can’t be easily dismissed. We’ve seen it before. In Green Charter Township, residents banded together in 2023, organized mass recalls, ousted the local board and passed ordinances that ultimately killed the proposed Gotion battery plant project.
I left the meeting less focused on the data center and more on the people who showed up to talk about it. After watching them fill a meeting room and devote hours to public comment, equipped with carefully thought-out research on an issue that wasn’t even on the agenda, it’s clear that many believe the future of Lyon Township is at stake.
And it’s good that they care about that future.
Michigan is already home to more than 70 data centers. As proposals continue to emerge, communities across the state are increasingly grappling with questions about energy use, water consumption, noise, environmental impacts and community benefit.
Project Flex is not the first data center development to rile up Michiganians ― and, if clear policy guidance on the issues they are concerned about remains limited, it won’t be the last.
Nicole Cook is opinion editor at The Detroit News.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Data center opposition reaches Lyon Township | Cook
Reporting by Nicole Cook, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Nicole Cook, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
