Recall effort targets trustees amid data center fight in Lyon Township

A recall effort is underway targeting all seven members of the Lyon Township Board of Trustees in Michigan, following months of intense resident opposition to a proposed hyperscale data center known as Project Flex. The developer, Verus, plans for the data center to span 1.8 million square feet between Milford Road and South Hill Road, south of Grand River. Residents, including Craig Kitsburg, are concerned about the project's impact on local resources, infrastructure, property values, and its visual presence. Kitsburg is part of a group that successfully obtained approval from the Oakland County Election Commission to begin collecting signatures for the recall petitions. Although the petitions officially cite the board's decision to raise township employee salaries, organizers explicitly stated this was a strategic move to secure approval for the recall language, with the true impetus being the data center controversy. Lyon Township Trustee Lee Blades indicated that the Board of Trustees did not vote on the project, as the area was already zoned for industrial use. This meant the Township Planning Commission conditionally approved the project without requiring public hearings. However, residents like Kitsburg believe the board should have been more proactive in informing the community about Project Flex. Residents now need to collect approximately 3,000 signatures per trustee by July 31st for the recall to appear on the November ballot.