Saginaw Township Data Center Ordinance Vote Nov. 9
Saginaw Township trustees are scheduled to vote on an ordinance establishing strict zoning and operating requirements for future data centers, although no developer has submitted an application. The proposed rules include special-use permits, environmental and noise requirements, setbacks, traffic studies, water-recycling requirements and protections against shifting electricity costs to other customers.
Saginaw Township trustees are scheduled to vote Nov. 9 on a 15-page ordinance regulating future data centers. The proposal would require special-use permits for most facilities and limit medium-scale and hyperscale projects to a section of Tittabawassee Road. It also calls for environmental, traffic, noise, emergency-response and decommissioning plans, along with significant setbacks from neighboring properties.
The draft would cap noise at 40 decibels at the property line, restrict generator testing, require closed-loop or recycled water for cooling, and require developers to show that projects would not raise electricity rates for other township customers. Developers would also have to notify nearby residents and hold community meetings. No data center application is pending in the township, and the rules would take effect Nov. 16 if approved.
The proposed ordinance comes amid broader Michigan debate over data center tax incentives, utility costs, environmental effects and community resistance. Other communities, including Saginaw and Haring townships, have adopted or considered similar regulations, while state regulators have separately approved special electricity contracts for a Google data center in Van Buren Township.