Washtenaw County: University of Michigan Names Textile Road Preferred Site for Research Computing Center
The University of Michigan has named Ypsilanti Township as its preferred site for a research computing center, despite ongoing local opposition and an enacted water and sewer moratorium. Simultaneously, Oracle's tax break in Saline Township faces a legal challenge, and state-approved power contracts for a Saline data center are being contested in the Court of Appeals. Lodi Township has also broadened its data center moratorium to include all "high-power facilities" and is developing permanent regulations.
Washtenaw County, Michigan, is a focal point for several data center-related developments and disputes. The University of Michigan announced its preferred site for a high-performance research computing center, partnering with Los Alamos National Laboratory, near Textile and Bridge roads in Ypsilanti Township. This decision comes despite formal opposition from Ypsilanti Township officials and residents, who have raised concerns about water and energy use, infrastructure costs, and environmental impacts. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell has also criticized the university's handling of public engagement, advocating for a more transparent town hall. Further complicating development, the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority enacted a 12-month moratorium in April on new water and sewer commitments for data centers and similar facilities.
In Saline Township, a resident, Kathryn Haushalter, represented by attorney Ellis Boal, has filed an objection with the Michigan State Tax Commission challenging Oracle America Cloud Services LLC's tax break application. The dispute centers on whether a required public hearing to establish an Industrial Development District actually occurred, with the attorney arguing that the lack of proper procedure should invalidate the tax exemption. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, alongside environmental groups Sierra Club, Michigan Environmental Council, and NRDC, is challenging the Michigan Public Service Commission's approval of special electric contracts between DTE and Green Chile Ventures for a 1.4-gigawatt data center in Saline Township. The challengers argue the MPSC improperly used an ex parte process, avoiding a contested-case hearing, for a project with significant electric demand and infrastructure costs.
Saline Township officials are also tightening oversight on ongoing construction, which includes multiple buildings and a water and wastewater treatment plant. The township initiated an independent review of the developer's noise study and is requiring a written plan for handling cooling fluid during maintenance to prevent accidental discharge. Separately, Lodi Township has replaced its specific data center moratorium with a broader 180-day pause on all "high-power facilities," including large power-generating facilities, substations, and switchyards. This measure aims to provide the township time to develop permanent regulations addressing significant energy and infrastructure demands from such developments.