WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – “Project Cannoli” is the name of a major plan that has sparked heated debate in Van Buren Township.
The proposal calls for a massive data center campus near I-94 and Haggerty Road.
The company behind the project, Panattoni, says the data center will help meet growing cloud computing demands, with nearly half the site remaining open space.
Locals have expressed concerns about environmental impact, noise, and rising electric bills.
Local 4 was at the public meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 11), where the planning commission voted to approve the plan.
In a split decision, the commission debated the project for nearly five hours.
After presentations from both the township and the developer, public comments, and questions, the commission granted preliminary site approval in a 5-2 vote.
The project is nearly the size of the massive AI data center in Saline Township.
It is a 1-gigawatt facility covering over 200 acres.
The site will include three data processing and computer center buildings, one administrative office building, one network service building, and a seven-acre substation.
Developer Panattoni has taken steps to reduce noise and light pollution.
They also assured that the data center will not use water from the same distribution system as residents.
A DTE representative confirmed that utility bills will not be impacted by the project.
Some residents believe the data center will bring economic benefits, including good-paying jobs and increased tax revenue.
The project is expected to be the largest taxpayer in Van Buren Township and one of the top five taxpayers in Wayne County, even with tax abatements.
However, some community members expressed frustration that the facility’s end user has not been disclosed.
Concerns remain about the scale, intensity, and long-term community impact, especially given the massive electrical infrastructure required.
The plan will now go to the township board for development agreement approval before returning to the planning commission for final site plan approval.
Michigan currently has about 70 data centers, with roughly 30 in the Metro Detroit area.
Nationwide, nearly 4,000 data centers exist, with about a third located in Virginia, Texas, and California.
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