Kalamazoo County’s Texas Township enacts 12-month data center moratorium
The Texas Township Board in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, has enacted a 12-month moratorium on data center developments. This pause will allow the Planning Commission to evaluate the land use impacts, infrastructure capacity, and environmental factors of data centers, with the goal of enacting new zoning regulations. Other nearby townships and cities have also adopted similar moratoriums.
The Texas Township Board in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, has enacted a temporary 12-month moratorium on data center developments by passing Resolution 26-12. The resolution, effective July 5, 2026, will remain in place until its expiration or until new zoning regulations are officially adopted.
Township officials stated that this moratorium is intended to provide the Planning Commission with time to assess the potential impacts of data centers on farmland preservation, rural zoning compatibility, and infrastructure, including the electrical grid and water supply. Environmental concerns such as noise, heat discharge, and light pollution will also be studied. This decision follows joint discussions between the Planning Commission and the Board that began last year.
The action by Texas Township aligns with similar measures taken by neighboring communities, including Oshtemo and Pavilion townships and the city of Portage, which have also implemented temporary moratoriums to review zoning rules and study proposals related to data centers and battery storage facilities. Kalamazoo County recently hosted a panel discussion on these topics at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.