Deep Green withdraws rezoning request for data center

Deep Green has officially withdrawn its $120 million data center proposal for downtown Lansing, Michigan, following significant community pushback and an anticipated failure to secure sufficient votes from the Lansing City Council. Deep Green notified the City Council on Monday afternoon of its decision to withdraw the rezoning request for properties at Kalamazoo St., S. Cedar St., and Larch St. Lansing City Council President Peter Spadafore confirmed the withdrawal, stating that the land sale and conditional rezone votes would not proceed. The proposal had been deemed unlikely to garner the six votes needed for approval. The project, from the UK-based Deep Green, planned to build a data center that would also utilize heat generated by its computers to warm water for the city’s downtown heating system, aiding the Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) in its shift from steam to hot water. BWL CEO Dick Peffley indicated that without the data center's heat, the utility would now need to build a new 4,000 square foot heat station at Wentworth Park, costing an additional $5 million. Tim Daman, President and CEO of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, expressed deep disappointment over the withdrawal, calling it a significant loss for the community. He noted that the city would miss out on a major investment that would have strengthened the economy, expanded opportunities, and provided nearly $1 million annually in new property taxes.