Allendale Township, Michigan, to weigh one-year data center moratorium
Allendale Township in Michigan is considering a one-year moratorium on data center, battery storage, and large-scale renewable energy developments. The proposed ban, set for a June 8 vote, aims to allow leaders time to research potential impacts on groundwater, infrastructure, and agricultural land, and to craft new zoning ordinances. No development proposals have yet been submitted in Allendale.
Allendale Township, Michigan, is set to vote on a one-year moratorium preventing the development of data centers, battery storage facilities, large-scale solar farms, and wind farms. The township's board of trustees will consider the proposed measure at its June 8 meeting. Township Supervisor Adam Elenbaas stated that no proposals for such developments have yet been submitted in Allendale. The pause is intended to allow local leaders to research the potential impacts of these projects, specifically citing concerns over groundwater usage for data centers and the loss of agricultural land for solar and wind farms. Elenbaas highlighted the need to update existing zoning ordinances, which were not designed to address modern technologies like data centers. He noted that over 50 Michigan communities have enacted similar moratoriums. In nearby Kent County, Cascade Township passed a six-month moratorium, while Lowell Township recently rejected a similar measure despite local opposition to a proposed Microsoft data center. Allendale residents have expressed concerns about the impact on farmland, prompting leaders to seek more time for proper due diligence.