East Lansing Council Delays Vote on Apartment, Places Moratorium on Data Centers, Officially Discontinues El Fresco

The East Lansing City Council voted unanimously to enact a six-month moratorium on data center development within the city. The decision was made during a recent meeting where the council also delayed a vote on a proposed 13-story apartment building for downtown. The moratorium's purpose is to allow city staff, including Principal Planner Landon Bartley, to study data centers and develop a comprehensive ordinance to regulate them, as the current zoning code is deemed insufficient to address potential impacts. The city's agenda item for the moratorium highlighted concerns that existing zoning does not adequately consider the environmental, public health and safety, community character, and aesthetic impacts that data centers may have. City Attorney Steven Joppich further explained that the current ordinance has "areas of uncertainty" regarding how to process a data center application if one were to be submitted. Currently, there are no applications for data centers in East Lansing. This move by East Lansing follows similar considerations in nearby municipalities like Mason and Lansing, which have faced public outcry over data center proposals. The moratorium is intended to provide the city with the necessary time to proactively address these issues before any development applications emerge, ensuring future projects align with city planning goals and community well-being.