SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Solon Township Planning Commission unanimously approved a 90-day moratorium on data center proposals during Tuesday night's meeting, with hundreds of community members in attendance.
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The planning commission's recommendation now goes to the Solon Township Board for consideration at their February 9 meeting.
The moratorium proposal emerged from concerns raised by neighbors at the previous planning meeting amid speculation that a data center could be proposed for farmland in the township.
The Right Place, an economic development agency, has been assisting developers in finding sites for potential data center construction. One location under consideration is property west of U.S. 131 between 16 Mile and 17 Mile roads, behind the Cedarfield neighborhood.
While no official data center proposal has been submitted to Solon Township, residents expressed concerns about potential impacts.
"My concerns are the water, the biggest one. If they're bringing water in to cool down their systems, it's got to come back out. So what are they going to do with that water?" one resident said.
Another community member called for comprehensive studies, saying, "I'd like to see that there's a full environmental impact assessment and a public health impact review done on the potential data center."
Noise concerns were also raised, with one resident noting, "Our understanding is that the noise can be or it is continuous. You do have a 55 and older neighborhood that will be sharing a property line with this data center."
One speaker addressed broader policy concerns, stating, "The state of Michigan opened this up to data centers by offering them big tax incentives. You need to go to your state representatives and let them know this is not okay."
The 90-day moratorium would temporarily halt any data center proposals while the township reviews its regulations and considers community input.
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