Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Green Oak Township is setting the record straight following false claims circulating about a proposed data center project in the community.

Supervisor Mark St. Charles issued the following statement:

FYI from the Supervisor:

Over the weekend, it came to our attention that a Facebook post claimed Green Oak Charter Township is considering the development of a 60,000-square-foot data center. That claim is false.

The 60,000-square-foot building referenced in the post is not a data center. It is an application submitted by Peaker Services to expand its existing business. Peaker Services specializes in rebuilding diesel engines for the railroad industry, and the proposed addition is intended solely to support that operation.

The post also references the Township's High Intensity Facility Overlay District map and suggests that it is connected to a pending data center proposal. That is also incorrect.

The Township Board adopted the High Intensity Facility Overlay District ordinance as a proactive planning measure. Its purpose is to establish clear standards and identify appropriate areas where high-intensity facilities, including data centers, could be considered in the future if an application were ever submitted.

Without such an ordinance, those uses could potentially seek approval in any Limited Industrial (LI) zoning district. By adopting a comprehensive ordinance, the Township established objective standards and avoided creating an exclusionary zoning ordinance under Michigan law.

The Facebook post suggests that discussions regarding a data center are taking place behind closed doors or outside the public process. This is simply not true.

There is currently no application, proposal, or pending request for a data center anywhere within Green Oak Charter Township.

Furthermore, there is no circumstance under which any Township Board member, including myself, would sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that would prevent the public from knowing about proposed development or land use within the Township.

Green Oak Charter Township conducts its business in accordance with Michigan's public meeting requirements. Land use applications, zoning amendments, and development proposals are reviewed through a transparent public process that includes public notice, open meetings, and opportunities for residents to provide input.

We encourage residents to rely on information provided through official Township channels and public meetings rather than social media speculation. Should a data center proposal ever be submitted in the future, it would be considered through the same open and transparent public process required of every development application.

Mark St. Charles, Supervisor
Green Oak Charter Township