WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Residents have been voicing outrage in Washington Township over what they call a lack of transparency.
The reaction comes after emails show the township was in talks with a data center developer about what would need to happen for the project to become reality -- and how “excited” the township supervisor was about the project.
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The conversations were happening behind the publics back, and the residents who exposed those emails say they show unethical behavior.
Washington Township supervisor Sebastian “Sam” Previti has held that position since 2020. His profile page on the Washington Township website promises increased transparency and open communication. Communication residents say they were kept in the dark about until this emails came out.
The Investigators at Local 4 sent a Freedom of Information Act request to Washington Township to obtain our own copies of those emails. The township released 1,642 pages to us.
Corinne Graper, the leader of the Stop the Washington Township Data Center Committee, spoke to us about what this means to the people who live in the township.
“Our town has been through enough, and we just want transparency, and we want the truth to come out,” Graper said.
Washington Township is located in northern Macomb County. It’s known for its rural character -- a character residents have said is important to them and worth preserving.
“We have hundreds of acres of open land in our towns. So we are very vigilant to make sure that these ordinances get in place, that there’s honor and integrity at our township, and so that this never happens again,” Graper said.
The “this” Graper is talking about involves the scandal surrounding the plots of land at 32 Mile and Powell Roads -- and communication between the township and real estate company Prologis.
The discussions started in 2024, when the land was being considered for a Stellantis warehouse. That plan didn’t work out, but Prologis and the township stayed in touch -- and began floating plans for a data center.
A June 9, 2025, email from Prologis asks for a “telephone conversation” with “DTE that Washington Township supports a data center campus.” It lays out a plan to ramp up energy use to “800MW” over five years. A hyperscale data center draws at least 100MW.
The next day, an email from a senior planner with the township lays out zoning, saying, “the majority of the site you are considering falls within the Industrial/Research/Technology future use category.”
The future land use map of that area actually shows it’s a majority recreation, rural, and multi-family zoning. That means it would need to be re-zoned.
On Sept. 3, 2025, Previti made a motion for the planning commisison to investigate the area for potential re-zoning.
In June, it was announced that Prologis has withdrawn their application. That means, there won’t be a data center. At least not for now.
Then there’s this social media post from Previti. On June 11, 2026, he posted a long message announcing a 6-month moratorium on data centers to “ensure Washington Township is properly protected from incompatible future development proposals.”
Dear Residents,
To continue lines of communication and transparency, as of last night I was informed that Prologis has notified our Planning and Zoning Department Director Dana Berschback verbally that they are no longer under contract with the property owners along 32 Mile Road between M-53 and Powell Road.
The proposed project included the possible purchase of property owned by the Meiers, Blakes, and Karam families for the development of a data center. However, Prologis has indicated that DTE Energy has informed them it will not be able to provide the necessary power capacity to support such a facility within the timeframe they were anticipating.
This news will undoubtedly come as a relief to many residents who have expressed concerns and remained actively engaged and vigilant throughout this process.
As many of you may recall, Prologis first approached Washington Township in 2024 regarding a potential Stellantis warehouse project. Stellantis ultimately relocated that project to Van Buren Township. Since that time, Prologis has explored several potential uses for these properties and remained in communication with the landowners regarding a possible acquisition, but never purchased.
Prologis previously presented a rezoning proposal at the December 11, 2025 Planning Commission meeting. That proposal was later placed on hold, and the rezoning application was officially withdrawn on May 19, 2026.
Following the withdrawal of the application, I was proud to make the motion on May 20, 2026 to establish a 6-month moratorium to allow our Planning Commission, consultants, engineers, acoustical expert, fire professionals, and environmental specialist the opportunity to thoroughly review our ordinances and ensure Washington Township is properly protected from incompatible future development proposals.
I am equally proud to report that this important work continues. Although this particular proposal appears to have been removed from consideration for the time being, our Planning Commission and consultants will remain actively engaged in developing strong, enforceable, and legally defensible ordinances addressing not only just data centers but also large scale industrial uses.
Our next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. I encourage all residents to attend, stay informed, and hear firsthand the progress being made on these proposed ordinances.
I am proud to have board approval that we have engaged a reputable acoustic engineer, water engineer, fire and safety engineer, and we are now in the process of reviewing an environmental engineer to help complete and solidify this ordinance with our legal and planning consultants..
This has been a long several months for our Planning Commissioners, Board members, consultants, and Township staff. I would like to sincerely thank each of them for their dedication, professionalism, and perseverance throughout this process. I also want to thank our residents for their patience, engagement, and advocacy.
We must remain focused and continue the important work of protecting the future of Washington Township as technology continues to evolve.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Thank you & God Bless You All!
Sebastian 'Sam' Previti (Facebook Post from June 11, 2026)
But there’s this email from Previti to DTE almost exactly a year prior, where he says just how “excited” the township is about the possibility of working with Prologis and how they’ll “help in any way to facilitate this project.”
So, does Previti want a data center or not? Previti says these communications with Prologis were “preliminary and exploratory” and that the township has a responsibility to listen.
“I think he has a lot of trust to rebuild with the community and that starts with taking accountability for his actions and apologizing and admitting that either he wanted a data center developer to come in or he didn’t do his due diligence,” Graper said.
It’s worth noting that the reason Previti says Prologis backed out was because DTE told them they wouldn’t be able to support the facility in the time frame they wanted.
The Investigators at Local 4 reached out to Previti requesting an interview, but did not hear back. He did post a video on social media on June 15, 2026, offering up a timeline to residents. You can watch that here.