The Related Cos.

Massive data center wins local tax break — but 9 times smaller than requested

Saline Township in Washtenaw County, Michigan, approved a controversial tax break for "The Barn" data center project, developed by The Related Cos. for Oracle and OpenAI. While the township was bound by a court order to grant a 50% tax break, they significantly reduced the valuation basis for the subsidy, cutting the requested $147 million tax break to less than $20 million annually. Residents voiced strong opposition to the project during the board meeting.