Ann Arbor considers University of Michigan data center amid local opposition and moratorium
The University of Michigan plans to build a $1.3 billion computing campus, which locals identify as a data center, on 144 acres in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. Despite unanimous opposition from local government and a water service moratorium, the project is moving forward due to the university's exemption from local zoning. Local and state officials are now pursuing legislative and legal actions to challenge the development.
The University of Michigan is moving forward with plans to build a $1.3 billion computing campus, which local residents describe as a data center, on 144 acres in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. This project, a collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, has faced significant local opposition despite the university's intentions to build.
Local residents, the City of Ypsilanti, and the Ypsilanti Township board have all voted unanimously to oppose the project, citing concerns about water usage, noise, strain on the power grid, and environmental impacts on the nearby Huron River. In an attempt to halt the development, the local water authority even enacted a moratorium on service for the entire project. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell has expressed deep concern, and three state representatives have filed bills in Lansing to strip the university's zoning exemption and claw back $100 million in state funding that prepared the site.
The university, as a public entity in Michigan, is exempt from local zoning regulations, rendering the local opposition votes legally inconsequential. A university regent also publicly criticized the project, suggesting it's being