This directory was updated on June 11, 2026.
MICHIGAN—Michiganders have made their feelings about data centers clear.
They don’t want them.
Polling has repeatedly shown that Michiganders broadly oppose the projects statewide. And that sentiment has shown up everywhere from packed township halls and legislative committees to statewide rallies and recall elections targeting local officials who’ve supported them.
Still, the proposals for these projects keep arriving anyway, backed by billions of dollars in outside capital and a state tax exemption lawmakers approved last year to help lure them in.
Despite the organized opposition in several dozen communities, more than 30 AI-related projects have now surfaced across Michigan since 2024—with no signs of slowing down.
To better understand the scope of this expansion, The ‘Gander compiled and organized every known data center project currently proposed, approved, or under construction in the state.
Tracking these developments takes time and resources. If this kind of accountability journalism matters to you, consider supporting The ‘Gander.
Under construction
“Stargate” in Saline Township: South of Ann Arbor, the most ambitious AI data center in Michigan is under active construction. The $56 billion campus—a partnership between OpenAI, Oracle, and developer Related Digital—spans 700 acres and has been approved to consume up to 1.4 gigawatts of electric demand, roughly the equivalent to the electricity used by 1 million homes. Some environmental permits have yet to be approved. The facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, with operations starting in early 2028. Opposition remains active, especially after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visited the site together for a groundbreaking on June 1. Developers have also launched a statewide PR campaign to counter growing opposition, rebranding the project as “The Barn”—a nod to an old red barn on the property they plan to preserve—and running new ads touting community benefits. Developers are also donating $10 million to help renovate a local community center nearby. The township board has been in turmoil over the project. In May, Township Treasurer Jennifer Zink resigned citing death threats she received over the data center, and on June 10, Township Supervisor James Marion also resigned amid the heated ongoing debate. Recall petitions targeting two other board members—including newly named supervisor Tom Hammond—are still circulating; organizers need 302 valid signatures per official to trigger a recall election.
Approved and moving forward
“Project Cannoli” in Van Buren Township: Google publicly confirmed in March that it is the company behind this proposed 1-gigawatt data center on roughly 282 acres of vacant land north of I-94 near Haggerty Road in Wayne County, developed by Panattoni Development Co. Once constructed, it will become the second-largest data center in the state behind Stargate. The facility will reportedly consume up to 3.6 million gallons of water daily and fill 10 acres of wetlands. To help manage water resources, Google awarded a $250,000 grant to the Huron River Watershed Council. The township granted preliminary approval in February; a proposed substation and switching station received preliminary site plan approval in May after a contentious five-hour meeting. The full Board of Trustees then unanimously approved the project along with a lucrative property tax incentive package that will cut the facility’s projected $250 million tax bill in half over 12 years—saving Google roughly $125 million. Community opposition remains significant, with nearly 2,000 people signing a petition against the project. Residents are organizing a recall effort targeting the entire board of trustees. The project also faces a full contested-case review at the Michigan Public Service Commission. Construction is expected to begin by July, with three buildings to be completed within the next two years.
Proposed and under review
Metrobloks data center in Southfield: LA-based developer Metrobloks LLC has received site plan approval from the Southfield City Council for a 100-megawatt, roughly 218,000-square-foot data center on 13 acres of vacant land near Inkster Road between 11 Mile and I-696. The $1.5 billion project is much smaller than hyperscale proposals elsewhere in Michigan. City officials voted last year to approve the site plan, though the vote was divided amid ongoing community concerns. Southfield Mayor Ken Siver has acknowledged the developer does not yet have all the financing secured and faces additional permitting steps. Construction timing is still unclear.
“Project Flex” in Lyon Township: In Oakland County, a 172-acre data center campus developed by Verrus has received conditional site plan approval from township officials with Anthropic—the AI company behind the Claude model—reported to be the intended end user. The project calls for at least six buildings totaling 1.8 million square feet. The project has drawn significant community backlash, including protests and a recall effort against the township board. Lyon Township has since enacted a moratorium on new data centers, though it does not affect Project Flex. In late May, Verrus’s attorney sent a letter warning the township that if final approval is delayed, the company will pursue legal action. Hundreds of residents packed a June 8 Planning Commission meeting but no decision was reached. The township says it has several weeks to review before taking action. The next Planning Commission meeting is set for July 13.
Microsoft data center in Gaines Township: Microsoft is continuing to expand its footprint south of Grand Rapids as it advances plans for a major data center campus. The company has already assembled about 320 acres near the intersection of Patterson Avenue and 76th Street and is now seeking to rezone another 104 acres from a separate parcel—a move that would clear the way for construction. An April 15 Planning Commission meeting drew hundreds of opponents and after more than three hours of public comment, the Commission tabled the rezoning decision with no set timeline for what comes next. Commissioners must still decide whether to forward the proposal to the full Township Board before the project can advance.
Microsoft data center in Lowell Township: Microsoft is pursuing plans for a large data center campus at Covenant Business Park in Lowell Township near I-96. The proposed project would include five data center buildings, a utility substation, an employee office building, and additional supporting structures on roughly 237 acres near Alden Nash Avenue. The company has submitted a rezoning application, which is now under review by the Planning Commission. In May, local officials rejected a proposed moratorium on data center projects within the township—a move that prompted calls for recalls against board members who voted no. Hundreds of residents packed a June 8 Planning Commission meeting but the commission didn’t reach a decision on the rezoning application. A Planning Commission workshop is scheduled for June 22, with Microsoft also expected at the next regular meeting on July 13.
“Project Cherry Blossom” in Frenchtown Township: Houston-based developerCloverleaf Infrastructure is considering a roughly 200-acre data center project on a former golf course near I-75 and North Dixie Highway in Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township. The proposal, known as Project Cherry Blossom, is in early stages but has already faced significant pushback from the local community. Cloverleaf held an informational meeting—with a slideshow presentation—about the project last year, but has not announced a formal construction timeline. In the meantime, township officials are considering a full moratorium on data center projects.
Data campus expansions in Cass County: Las Vegas-based Hyperscale Data is pursuing a major expansion to its data center campus in Dowagiac, announcing in late March a purchase agreement to acquire 49 additional acres that would more than double its footprint to 83 acres. City officials have said they were blindsided by the announcement and Mayor Patrick Bakeman has since demanded the company identify the property and submit formal development plans. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians has also voiced opposition to the project, and residents have called for a moratorium, though the City Council declined in January. In May, the company announced it was in lease negotiations with multiple potential customers and had pre-ordered equipment in anticipation of agreements it expects to finalize “in the coming weeks and months.” Separately, a federal class-action lawsuit is targeting the company over “excessive noise” emanating from the company’s existing facility on Prairie Ronde St.
Data campus expansions in Kent County: Microsoft is also reportedly looking to purchase more land for data center development in Gaines Township—the same township where Las Vegas-based Switch is reportedly looking to expand capacity at its Pyramid data center campus.
Data center in Solon Township: An unnamed tech company is looking to build a data center in Solon Township. Community opposition has been organized under the “Stop Solon Township Data Center” group, raising concerns about environmental impacts, water and electricity use, and tax exemptions. The township adopted a six-month moratorium on data center projects in February and is now working on a zoning ordinance specifically addressing them. The Planning Commission is set to review a draft of that ordinance during a public hearing on June 24.
Data center in Jackson County: Developers have reportedly been “kicking tires” and looking for land for a potential data center in Jackson County and officials there have been working with Consumers Energy to identify suitable locations. No formal proposals have been filed. Individual townships reportedly handle all of the zoning decisions in Jackson County—leaving the County Board of Commissioners powerless to halt data center development, Fox 47 News reports.
Data center in Marshall: Toronto-based Alterra Development reportedly entered into a purchase agreement with the City of Marshall in October 2025 for 270 acres inside the Brooks Industrial Park—roughly half of which is wetlands—near Stuart Lake and the Brooks Nature Area. The project could require up to 1,400 megawatts of power, with Alterra proposing an on-site natural gas-fired turbine system to generate around 1,000 megawatts and importing the remainder from the grid. Because the site is already zoned industrial, no rezoning is required. Residents have organized opposition over noise, emissions, and wetland impacts, and the city is evaluating noise ordinances before any potential construction is allowed to proceed.
Data center in Stronach Township: Joe Tondu, president of Tondu Corporation, confirmed in May that he’s actively exploring a data center development on 150 acres of industrially zoned land on Stronach Road in Manistee County, surrounded by state forest. Tondu stressed that no agreements have been signed and no formal proposal has been filed. Still, more than 200 local residents packed the meeting to voice opposition to the concept. Meanwhile, local officials are reportedly exploring ways to regulate (or prohibit) these projects locally.
Data Center at Oakland University: Oakland University in Auburn Hills is exploring a 26-megawatt data center and “AI Institute” on the university’s P-35 parking lot, adjacent to an existing DTE substation. The project would be built by Cleveland-based developer Fairmount Properties, with shared use between the university and selected industry partners. Like the U-M/Los Alamos proposal, OU is framing the project around academic goals—including research and student internships—rather than purely commercial data center operations. The project is in its early stages; a formal lease agreement and construction cannot begin without Board of Trustees approval, which is expected to come before the board on June 26. Students are already pushing back, raising concerns about environmental impacts and long-term viability.
Data center in Detroit: Detroit leaders are weighing whether to temporarily block all data center development—including a proposed project on a small slice of city-owned land near the Stellantis Jeep plant. In March, the Detroit City Council voted 6-2 to ask Mayor Mary Sheffield to pause new data center permits for two years while the city studies the potential impacts. Sheffield’s office said she would review the request. In the meantime, the City Council has convened a working group to develop a more comprehensive data center zoning policy.
Paused, stalled, or withdrawn
University of Michigan/Los Alamos Computing Facility in Ypsilanti Township: Despite widespread local opposition, the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory are still pursuing a proposed $1.2 billion high-performance computing and AI research facility in Washtenaw County. University officials describe the project as a research center—not a commercial data center—but critics argue the scale and energy demands are comparable to other hyperscale projects. The project hit a significant obstacle in April after the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) voted 4-0 to enact a 12-month moratorium on water and sewer services to data centers within its service area—a move that directly implicates the site. The day before, a U-M attorney hand-delivered a legal threat calling the moratorium “unlawfully discriminatory.” Because U-M is a public university, it does not need local zoning approval to move forward. But it does need water—up to 500,000 gallons per day, by some estimates.
Microsoft data center site in Dorr Township: Microsoft quietly purchased land near US-131 in Dorr Township as part of its broader push to develop data center campuses across West Michigan. Township officials say the company initially approached local leaders in 2024 to determine whether the site could be supported with adequate roads, water, sewer, and electricity infrastructure before completing the purchase shortly afterward. Few public details about the proposed development have been released. In response to growing concerns, Dorr Township officials have enacted a temporary moratorium on new data center development.
Data center in Mason: A data center developer has formally approached the city of Mason, promising a minimum $1 billion investment—which city officials say could more than double Mason’s annual property tax revenue. The company has not yet been identified publicly. The proposed site is at 3388 W. Columbia Rd. on a property that straddles the Mason-Vevay Township border. In June, the Vevay Township Board unanimously voted not to pursue a Public Act 425 agreement with the city, meaning Mason would likely need to pursue annexation through the state process if the project moves forward. A large and heated crowd attended the Vevay Township meeting, with residents raising concerns about infrastructure, water usage, and the loss of rural land. Separately, two Mason City Council members are still facing a recall effort over their votes on an earlier, now-repealed data center zoning ordinance.
Buick City data center in Flint: Hillwood–Sterling, a joint venture backed by Dallas-based real estate developer Ross Perot Jr., is reportedly under contract to purchase roughly 200 acres of the former Buick City industrial site. Hillwood has two decades of data center development experience, including a Meta hyperscale facility in Texas, but it’s still unclear who the end user would be for a potential Flint project—or what size and investment it would involve. But any near-term development is now on hold after the Flint City Council passed a one-year moratorium on data centers on June 8. During the moratorium, no permit applications, site plans, or construction for data centers will be accepted or processed by the city of Flint.
Data center in Allen Park: Solstice Data proposed a 26-megawatt, roughly 45,000-square-foot data center on Enterprise Drive south of I-94. The proposal drew local opposition over noise, infrastructure strain, and health concerns. After repeatedly postponing a vote, the city Planning Commission formally rejected the plan in June. The developers can appeal the decision.
Prologis “Technical Campus” in Washington Township: San Francisco-based real estate giant Prologis was pursuing a rezoning of 312 acres of agricultural and industrial land near 32 Mile Road and M-53 in Macomb County before abruptly withdrawing its plans in May. Local residents have organized protests against the project, citing concerns over rural community character, grid and water impacts, and its proximity to schools. Township officials have since passed a six-month moratorium on data center projects and developers behind the project intend to wait until the township adopts an ordinance before reapplying for a zoning change.
Deep Green data center in Lansing: UK-based company Deep Green withdrew its application for a smaller-scale, 24-megawatt data center in downtown Lansing on April 6, hours before the City Council was set to vote on—and likely reject—the project. Council members are actively working on a local ordinance that would put clear guardrails on future data center proposals. Deep Green has since indicated the company still intends to pursue a project in Michigan.
Data center in York Township: In Washtenaw County, Sansone Group explored the potential purchase of roughly 412 acres off Platt Road—currently owned by Toyota—for a data center, but withdrew its plans after the township made clear it would not modify an existing deal that prohibited a data center on the site. York Township has also enacted a temporary moratorium on all data center applications while local officials study whether and how to regulate them locally.
Meta-linked data center in Howell Township: A proposal for a $1 billion, 1,077-acre hyperscale data center in Livingston County’s Howell Township drew intense community opposition before the plan was paused. Both the township planning commission and Livingston County Planning Commission recommended rezoning for the project be denied. The Howell Township Board also unanimously enacted a six-month moratorium on data center approvals, prompting developers to formally withdraw their application. Township officials are still drafting a local data center ordinance. In May, the board voted to extend the moratorium an additional six months, through November. The data center plans could still resurface when it expires.
Data center in Augusta Township: In Washtenaw County, another major, 522-acre data center campus has been proposed on agricultural land by Thor Equities, requiring rezoning from local officials. The project has triggered resident petitions, legal maneuvering, and broader debates about whether rural communities should bear the infrastructure burden of AI development. The township board approved the rezoning request but residents organized a referendum—and the question of whether to overturn that approval is headed to an Aug. 4 ballot vote. A recall effort targeting all seven township board members is advancing after a judge denied appeals filed by the officials. For now, the project is temporarily unable to proceed under a 12-month moratorium on water and sewer services approved by the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority in April.
“Project Ironwood” in Dundee Township: Cloverleaf has also been examining a 350-acre site in Monroe County’s Dundee Township for a potential data center known as Project Ironwood. Before the proposal could advance, however, township officials approved a temporary moratorium on data centers. Meanwhile, developers appear to be in a holding pattern.
Franklin Partners in Pavilion Township: Illinois-based real estate firm Franklin Partners has explored building a data center on 265 acres in Kalamazoo County’s Pavilion Township. But after community backlash, the company withdrew its rezoning request. Franklin Partners has since been associated with the Microsoft data center proposal in Lowell Township.
Pitches from Concord Infrastructure Partners: Concord Infrastructure Partners has reportedly pitched data center proposals to multiple Michigan communities with an aggressive timeline for approval. As of publication, none have formally advanced a project with Concord.
Data center in Kalkaska County: Traverse City-based carbon-capture company Rocklocker floated plans for a potential data center in Kalkaska County late last year. The proposal faced pushback from residents and Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials indicated that public land would not be made available. Rocklocker has since dropped the idea entirely.
Data center proposal in Gibraltar: A proposed 100-megawatt data center at the former McLouth Steel site in Gibraltar has been paused after city officials approved a one-year moratorium on all data center development. The project—led by developer Raeden—would repurpose an industrial building along West Jefferson Avenue and could reportedly draw as much electricity as roughly 80,000 homes. City leaders say the moratorium is intended to give officials time to establish regulations before moving forward. The proposal has already sparked community pushback, with residents raising concerns about energy costs, air quality, and potential environmental impacts. While the citywide moratorium applies broadly, it includes a waiver provision—meaning the project could still advance depending on future city action.
Proactive moratoriums: A growing number of Michigan communities have enacted temporary bans on data center development—including Allendale Township, Armada Township, Brandon Township, Big Rapids Township, Cascade Township, Clark Township, Comstock Township, Dexter Township, Eagle Township, Erie Township, Filer Township, Grand Blanc Township, Green Charter Township, Hayes Township, Lenox Township, Leoni Township, Lodi Township, Manchester Township, Meridian Township, New Buffalo Township, Oneida Township, Oshtemo Township, Penn Township, Pittsfield Township, Porter Township, Speaker Township, Springfield Township, Sylvan Township, Tyrone Township, Waterford Township, Waterloo Township, Delta County, Huron County, Dearborn Heights, Northville, Portage, Pontiac, Rochester Hills, Romeo, Saginaw, Saline, South Lyon, Sterling Heights, and Taylor. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians have adopted an indefinite moratorium on data center development on tribal lands. All told, at least 50 cities and townships across Michigan have now reportedly passed data center moratoriums, covering nearly 1,500 square miles—an area roughly the size of Rhode Island. State lawmakers in both chambers have also introduced legislation that would temporarily pause new data center development statewide, though Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she would veto any such legislation.
Did we miss a project in your neighborhood? Email us and we’ll add it to the list. And check back for news; we’ll keep this directory updated with fresh developments on a weekly basis.
READ MORE: Michigan’s US Senate candidates weigh in on data centers and AI
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