Northville approves moratorium on data center construction
City of Northville officials have approved a one-year moratorium on any potential data center development in the municipality.
The action follows massive protests by residents of a proposed hyperscale data center installation proposed in Lyon Township while another such facility is proposed in Van Buren Township.
The new language adopted in Northville prohibiting any data center installation was unanimously approved by members of the city council at a regular meeting. The ban, according to officials, will allow the city time to review and potentially revise current zoning language. The temporary restriction was prompted, according to discussion at the meeting, by the public outcry in other communities as residents protest the construction of such centers.
Citizens’ concerns often revolve around how much electricity is needed to power the massive facilities, typically measured in gigawatts, and potential environmental impacts and possible increased utility costs to residents.
In Van Buren Township, Panattoni Data Center Group has proposed developing a data center on about 280 acres north of an I-94 service drive, south of I-275, east of Haggerty Road and west of Hannan Road.
Northville Community Development Director Justin Quagliata told council members that other communities are attempting to regulate data centers after the fact, in some cases prompting public protests of the proposed construction. He said the current Northville zoning ordinance does not directly address or define the mega-data centers, posing the potential for legal disputes.
He told council members that his staff will use the one-year moratorium to review the current ordinances and recommend amendments. He said such recommendations for revisions would go before the members of the planning commission and then be considered by council members for action.
Residents opposed to the large-scale electronic installations in nearby communities have expressed concerns about the impact the environmental impact of the facilities along with a potential rate increase.
“We’re here because of our four rivers,” Mayor Brian Turnbull said during the Northville meeting. “We don’t want those rivers sucked down to cool the computerization that’s part of this big data (processing facility).”
Northville Councilman Andrew Krenz suggested revised zoning regulation include any new versions of current centers to prevent the rebranding of existing businesses as permitted uses. He said the zoning language should focus on the infrastructure of any proposed data centers, not just the business label.
The new data center projects in Michigan are supported by major tech giants such as OpenAI, Oracle and Meta, which owns Facebook.
Proponents of data centers have argued that data centers will be an economic boon that will create thousands of jobs. DTE representatives have repeatedly stated that there are legal protections in municipal permits which eliminate the risk of higher rates for residents.
