Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A big turnout for a pending data center project in an industrial area of Lyon Township.

Residents and stakeholders packed the South Lyon East High School Auditorium off 10 Mile for the two-hour presentation Thursday night.

A presentation was made by the Project Flex team: Verrus, Walbridge, DTE, and the Detroit Regional Partnership. The panel also featured township and public safety officials, planners, and engineers. The meeting was moderated, and there was no public comment forum. There was a question-and-answer portion to address submitted questions, and no board action.

It was stressed at the beginning of the meeting that disruptive behavior will not be tolerated, and there were enhanced security protocols for safety

There were some public outbursts throughout the meeting, with one woman being removed by sheriff’s deputies.

The project site includes several parcels of land between Milford Road and South Hill Road, known as a portion of the South Hill Business Park West. The roughly 172-acre size is zoned I-1 Light Industrial and I-2 General Industrial. The proposed data center will include six buildings totaling approximately 1.8-million-square-feet of floor area, and a utility substation.

Data processing and computer centers are permitted uses under current zoning ordinance. Since it is a permitted use, no formal public hearing was required and it was asserted that all proper approval processes were followed.

Walbridge has owned the site since the mid-1980’s, and it’s been long zoned for industrial development since the 1950’s.

Verrus said it “wants to build a better data center” that fits in with the community. Representatives said they didn’t seek any variances, everything has been publicly filed, and it was considered a planned use for the site and followed all township processes. The company said it’s trying to go above and beyond design - noting setbacks are further than required, height is far less than what’s allowed under zoning, and the building will be obscured from view with lots of landscaping and buffers. It was further stated that they’ve always operated in the open, are proud of what they are building, and are not hiding who is involved.

It was explained in-depth how water usage is calculated, that there would not be any impact to household wells that are near the site or facility, and there is ample township system capacity. It was stated the cooling system for the project consumes significantly less water when compared to neighboring properties. Verrus said it will be using the most modern technology and a closed-loop cooling system that does not require remotely as much water as older centers.

It was further clarified the project does not have permits for diesel generators and no plans to install them. The project will utilize battery back-up power – which was said to be cleaner and safer and help make it among the lowest carbon emitting for larger centers.

Verrus said it’s building a “grid-interactive” data center to “keep electricity rates in check” and maintain reliable service.

A DTE representative stated they have an obligation to provide service but also protect customers, referencing state laws and rules so existing customers don’t subsidize data centers. Companies have to cover 100% of their costs to connect to the system. In this case, Verrus is building a sub-station. It was stated grid capacity is fully capable of supporting the project and there are a variety of layers of protections for customers.
As for noise, the company said it has chosen technologies to be much quieter including batteries and the most modern HVAC systems that are all designed to reduce the noise that comes from traditional data centers. Verrus said it will be far less noise than what is allowed under zoning, citing 44-decibles as the noise level reported from an independent study.

A sound study was said to have been conducted by the applicants but found to be lacking by the township, thus the township is now in the process of hiring an independent sound expert/engineer to review and analyze the study.

A representative from the Detroit Regional Partnership commented data centers are an essential piece of infrastructure for the digital economy, and support a broad range of technologies beyond AI. Other cited benefits were significant and stable tax revenue for communities to fund local services and programs, with it being stated manufactures don’t typically pay local personal property taxes but data centers do. DTE also referenced a study stating no statistical evidence was found that data centers negatively impact housing values or property values - which drew laughter and skepticism from the crowd.

It was later stated during the event “Walbridge is a proven national data center constructor” and the project will use less electrical, water, and sewer demand as well as truck traffic that other previous proposals for that area.

There’s been much public outcry about why a public hearing was never held. It was reiterated all proper procedures were followed, Township requirements largely mimic those of the state, and a public hearing was not required.

The fire department clarified it is equipped and trained to specifically respond to lithium-ion battery fires and hazards – pointing out that it responded to a battery fire last year at a larger commercial facility in the township that it was able to successfully contain, extinguish, and minimize damage. It was also noted that safety systems for projects such as this are incorporated into the design for protections.

Other aspects of the project covered included accountability for potential violations; that the applicants have not, and cannot, apply for a tax abatement from the township; there are annual reporting requirements for data center usage from the state; and again, no township officials signed any non-disclosure agreements, or NDA’s nor was it requested.

Meanwhile residents of Lyon Township, South Lyon, Milford, and other surrounding communities lined the walkway into the school’s auditorium entrance prior to the meeting to protest.

Many residents are deeply concerned about the project, alleging it would be the second largest in the state and only bring negative and unknown impacts.

Some concerns cited include its proximity to a nearby elementary school, aquifer concerns due to high expected water use and effects on residents’ wells, noise pollution from the 24-hour facility, anticipated higher electric costs and effects on the grid, long-term financial implications for the community, environmental concerns, and others. Perhaps the biggest perceived problem is what many feel was a huge lack of transparency since there was never any public hearing and the projects are so controversial in nature.

The presentation can be viewed on the township’s YouTube Channel. That link is provided top.

General project information is available in the bottom link.