WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – The construction of a proposed data center in southern Washtenaw County has drawn the ire of residents in that small farming community who are weary of other attempts at construction.
“I do not want this at all out here,” said Larry Schultz, who has lived along Milan-Oakville Road in Augusta Township for 35 years, said on Tuesday. “We had nice farmland on the other side of our Corner Road.
Now you go look at it.
“It’s all of them damn solar panels all the way down the road,” Schultz said, adding, referencing a solar farm that is currently under construction. “On both sides, you start seeing they’re taking everything.”
Schultz and others in the area made it abundantly clear that they are not in favor of the proposed data center, which is the latest in a line of development on this mass of land along the border of Washtenaw and Monroe counties.
The data center, which a New York-based private equity firm, Thor Equities, would sit on, would occupy 522 acres of an 810-acre plot of land.
Residents came out in full force during a township planning commission meeting on May 28, expressing concerns about noise generated by generators, cooling systems, and other equipment.
Residents were also concerned about power usage, construction traffic, environmental impact, and other aspects of the proposal.
The firm has proposed rezoning approximately 522 acres, provided that the land is used solely for a data center and not for any other type of industry. It’s the latest in a number of new additions.
“The FBI opened the shooting range, which has been quite a noise pollution problem,” said Judy Harris, who has lived in her home along Milan-Oakville Road with her husband since 1984, on Tuesday. “And then a mile down the road, they put in a or they’re putting in a solar farm.”
“It’s quite a lot because that’s all happened within the last couple of years. And now they’re talking about putting at a data center, which is going to really change our way of life,” Harris said.
The planning commission voted 5-1 to recommend the denial of the project to the Augusta Township Board of Trustees, who will have the final say on the rezoning.
Thor Equities issued a statement.
“We recognize that new developments often raise important questions from the community, and we are committed to addressing them.
This project is still early in the exploratory phase and would use approximately 20% of an 800-acre site.
Our priority is to engage openly with the community, listen to concerns, and provide clear information at every step.”
Thor Equities
People like Harris feel that proposals like this can often be perceived as a bait-and-switch.
“A lot of things that are promised when these things go in don’t happen, and they change after they get what they want,” Harris said.
Ann Arbor SPARK, which supports the rezoning, issued a separate statement.
“While the Planning Commission recommended denial, we encourage the Township Board to keep the door open and allow the project to move forward to the site plan review phase.
That’s where the full proposal, including potential community benefits and infrastructure improvements, can really be assessed.
This project represents a significant capital investment and a real opportunity to enhance local infrastructure.
Denying the rezoning now would cut the process short before the community has a chance to fully understand what’s on the table."
The Augusta Township Board of Trustees is set to meet again on June 24.
