Google data center clears site plan review by Van Buren Township
The Van Buren Township Planning Commission approved Google’s final site plan for a proposed data center campus in a 5-1 vote. The 282-acre project, which would include nearly 1.5 million square feet of space and a high-voltage switching station, advanced despite community opposition.
Van Buren Township’s Planning Commission approved the final site plan for Google’s proposed data center campus in a 5-1 vote. Known as Project Cannoli, the development would occupy 282 acres between Interstate 94 and Haggerty Road and eventually include nearly 1.5 million square feet of space and a high-voltage switching station.
Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara said the township negotiated changes intended to reduce the project’s impacts, including cutting the number of generators from 150 to 20, requiring updated cooling towers and adding berms to screen the facility. Although McNamara said he personally opposes having a data center in the community, he argued that the negotiated plan would produce a low-impact, quieter facility and avoid having a court determine the project’s outcome.