This directory was updated on Sept. 24, 2026.
MICHIGAN—Michiganders have made their feelings about data centers clear.
They don’t want them.
Recent polling shows most local officials and nearly two-thirds of Michiganders oppose data center construction. And that opposition has shown up everywhere from packed township halls and legislative committees to statewide rallies and recall elections targeting local officials.
This week, representatives from several environmentalist groups gathered in Lansing to call for a pause in new data center projects, as well as to share concerns about data centers’ use of water, energy, and the influence Big Tech companies have exerted over local communities. And with Election Day approaching, the issue has moved to the center of Michigan’s biggest races.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson is calling for a moratorium on data center projects until strict, enforceable guardrails are in place, an end to tax breaks for the companies building them, and safeguards to keep the facilities from raising residents’ electricity bills.
Meanwhile, her Republican opponent John James (who has a record of supporting federal tax breaks for data center developers) says local officials—not the state—should be the ones making these calls and rejected the idea of a statewide moratorium at a recent forum. But according to his running mate, state Rep. Jay DeBoyer, James’ full plan is still uncertain.
The issue is reshaping other races across the ballot, too.
Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is now calling for a nationwide pause on the development of advanced artificial intelligence. He also supports a statewide moratorium. And after being exposed for having clear financial ties to the industry, Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers has now reversed his previous position and called for a moratorium.
Several Democratic US House candidates—like Will Lawrence, who is running to unseat US Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District—have also taken a firm stance against data center construction and are in favor of clear guardrails for AI development.
Still, local governments are limited in their ability to block the facilities from moving into town.
Despite 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.
What Michigan data centers are under construction?
“Stargate” in Saline Township: The most ambitious AI data center in Michigan is under construction south of Ann Arbor and due for completion by the end of 2027. The $43 billion campus—a partnership between OpenAI, Oracle, and developer Related Digital—spans 700 acres and is approved to draw up to 1.4 gigawatts of electricity, roughly what 1 million homes use. Residents are asking state regulators to void its 12-year, 50% tax break, and Attorney General Dana Nessel has asked the Court of Appeals to overturn DTE’s power deal for the site. Two township officials have resigned. Related Digital has since bought an adjacent golf course.
What Michigan data centers are approved and moving forward?
“Project Cannoli” in Van Buren Township: Google’s proposed 1-gigawatt data center on 282 acres near Haggerty Road would be Michigan’s second largest, consuming up to 3.6 million gallons of water daily and destroying 13 acres of wetlands. The township board unanimously approved the project and a tax break cutting its $250 million bill in half, saving Google roughly $125 million. A final site plan vote is expected Oct. 14. More than 2,600 residents have signed a petition against it, and a recall targeting the full board is underway. Regulators are still weighing the power contracts and a wetland permit. Developers hope to break ground this year.
Data campus expansions in Cass County: Las Vegas-based Hyperscale Data is more than doubling the size of its Dowagiac campus to 83 acres. City officials say they were blindsided by the original announcement, and Mayor Patrick Bakeman has since demanded formal development plans. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians opposes the project, and residents sought a moratorium the City Council declined to pass in January. A class-action lawsuit had targeted the company over excessive noise from its bitcoin mining operation, but the company has since shut off all of its loudest equipment to retool the site for AI computing.
“Project Flex” in Lyon Township: Verrus has conditional approval for a 172-acre, six-building campus totaling 1.8 million square feet in Oakland County, with Anthropic reported as the intended end user. The project has drawn protests, a board recall effort, and a township moratorium that does not apply to it. Developers withdrew their site plan in July, then resubmitted and asked for administrative approval without another commission review. Consultants are reportedly reviewing that plan. Dozens of residents turned out to oppose the project at a recent Planning Commission meeting, though it was not on the agenda.
Metrobloks data center in Southfield: LA-based Metrobloks LLC has site plan approval for a $1.5 billion, 100-megawatt data center on 13 acres of land near Inkster Road between 11 Mile and I-696. At roughly 218,000 square feet, it is much smaller than the hyperscale campuses proposed elsewhere in Michigan. The City Council approved the plan last year on a divided vote amid community concerns. Mayor Ken Siver has acknowledged the developer has not secured all of its financing and still faces additional permitting. Construction timing remains unclear.
University of Michigan/Los Alamos Computing Facility in Ypsilanti Township: Despite local opposition, U-M and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are advancing a $1.25 billion computing facility on 144 acres along Textile Road. U-M insists it’s a research center, not a data center. The university is contributing $850 million, LANL $300 million, and the state a contested $100 million grant—though LANL would operate 90% of the site. US Rep. Debbie Dingell sent three letters this month opposing the location, demanding to see the agreement, and asking state and federal regulators to formally review the plan. Township officials also say that the site may hold Native American burial grounds. Local moratoria cannot stop the project because public universities are exempt from local zoning rules. Groundbreaking is set for 2027.
Data Center at Oakland University: The Oakland County university is exploring a 26-megawatt data center and “AI Institute” built by Cleveland-based Fairmount Properties, to be shared between the school and industry partners. Like the U-M/Los Alamos proposal in Ypsilanti Township, OU frames the project around academic goals rather than commercial operations, and says the roughly 15-acre facility would use a fraction of the power and land needed for a hyperscale campus. Trustees voted in June to begin due diligence on finances, environmental impacts, and infrastructure. The university moved the site from a parking lot near a nature preserve to Lot 37, which is farther from both the preserve and a Native American heritage site.
What Michigan data centers are proposed and under review?
Data center proposal in the Upper Peninsula: In Marquette County, a group is reportedly floating a data center on roughly 1,000 acres near a former Air Force Base. So far, the effort is speculative: no permit or application has been filed and no end users have been identified.
Microsoft data center in Gaines Township: Microsoft is expanding south of Grand Rapids, having assembled about 320 acres near Patterson Avenue and 76th Street. The company now wants to rezone another 104 acres from a separate parcel to clear the way for construction. Hundreds of opponents packed an April 15 Planning Commission meeting, and after more than three hours of public comment the Commission tabled the rezoning with no timeline for a decision. Commissioners must still decide whether to send the proposal to the Township Board. Microsoft is reportedly eyeing more land in the township, and Switch may expand there, too.
Data center in Jackson County: Developers have reportedly been “kicking tires” and scouting land for a potential data center in Jackson County, and officials have been working with Consumers Energy to identify suitable sites. No formal proposals have been filed. Individual townships handle all of the zoning decisions in the county, which leaves the County Board of Commissioners powerless to halt data center development, Fox 47 News reports.
Data center in Marshall: Toronto-based Alterra Development entered a purchase agreement with the city in October 2025 for 270 acres in the Brooks Industrial Park, roughly half of it wetlands, near Stuart Lake and the Brooks Nature Area. The project could require up to 1,400 megawatts of electricity, with Alterra proposing an on-site natural gas turbine system to generate around 1,000 megawatts and drawing the rest from the grid. Because the site is already zoned industrial, no rezoning is needed. Residents have organized over noise, emissions, and wetland impacts, and the city has imposed a one-year moratorium delaying construction.
Data centers in Detroit: 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 impacts. Sheffield’s office has not formally acted but has informally paused permitting while the question is under consideration, and the city is working to adopt regulations before year’s end. At least two sites have been floated, according to Planet Detroit. That includes a proposal for city-owned land on Shoemaker Street near the Stellantis Jeep plant, a proposal that has since been dropped, and the former Packard Plant, which developers concluded was too small.
Data center in Mason: Ohio-based Comino Development has reportedly floated a $1 billion-plus data center campus straddling the Mason-Vevay Township line—though no formal proposal has been filed. After Vevay Township officials declined a tax-sharing agreement for the project, property owners asked the State Boundary Commission to annex more than 400 acres into the city of Mason. The commission meets Oct. 7. At a Sept. 14 town hall, Mason Mayor Russell Whipple said the city cannot outlaw data centers outright and is helping rewrite the zoning ordinance with stricter rules. Councilwoman Elaine Ferris faces a recall in November.
Data Services Facility in Morley: Boston-based GenH has floated a hydropower-driven “data services facility” at the Frank Deyo Dam in Morley, a Mecosta County village of a few hundred people. GenH says its siphon-based approach would route water around existing structures without altering the dam, and pitches the site as a small, local alternative to sprawling AI campuses. Residents still aren’t sold. Roughly 300 people packed a village board meeting that ran nearly three hours. Company officials said no formal proposal exists yet. Village President Austin Korpal said he’ll “go with the people,” leaving a moratorium on the table.
Data center in Wixom: Wixom Industrial One and Sansone Group are pursuing a three-building, 500,000-square-foot data center on 54 acres of industrial land on Wixom Road in Oakland County. The city enacted a six-month moratorium in March while drafting local rules. Developers submitted a site plan anyway and asked for a waiver; the City Council unanimously refused. In August, developers sued, arguing the moratorium is illegal. The city adopted its ordinance regardless, reclassifying data centers as a special land use requiring a public hearing and Planning Commission approval. Residents have raised concerns about water, air quality, noise, and the absence of any permanent jobs in the application. The lawsuit is pending.
Data center in Lenox Township: Residents of Lenox Township and the Village of New Haven have organized against the prospect of a hyperscale data center campus in northern Macomb County’s I-94 development district, though no developer has filed an application, site plan or zoning request. Township officials say they’ve had no direct contact with a data center company, but records show an unnamed developer approached a property owner in the district in January. A four-month moratorium has since expired. An anonymous website and mailers have promoted data centers locally; local officials insist they neither created nor funded those materials.
What Michigan data centers are paused, stalled, or withdrawn?
Microsoft data center in Lowell Township: Microsoft’s plan for five data center buildings, a substation, and supporting structures on roughly 237 acres at Covenant Business Park stalled in August when the Lowell City Council abruptly suspended negotiations with the township over water, sewer, and development agreements. Township officials rejected a moratorium in May, prompting recall petitions against Supervisor Jerry Hale and two trustees; organizers fell short of the signatures needed for the November ballot. A township committee is now drafting a local ordinance on data centers, which some officials openly describe as a way to push Microsoft out.
Data center in Stronach Township: Tondu Corporation President Joe Tondu confirmed in May that he was exploring a data center on 150 acres of industrially zoned land on Stronach Road in Manistee County, surrounded by state forest. Tondu stressed that no agreements had been signed and no formal proposal filed. More than 200 local residents packed a meeting to oppose the concept anyway, and the township has since passed a temporary moratorium.
Microsoft data center site in Dorr Township: Microsoft quietly bought land near US-131 in Dorr Township as part of its broader push into West Michigan. Township officials say the company approached local leaders in 2024 to gauge whether the site could be supported with adequate roads, water, sewer, and electricity before completing the purchase shortly after. Few public details about the proposed development have been released. Amid growing concerns, township officials enacted a temporary moratorium on new data center development.
Buick City data center in Flint: Hillwood–Sterling, a joint venture backed by Dallas developer Ross Perot Jr., is reportedly under contract to buy roughly 200 acres of the former Buick City industrial site. Hillwood has two decades of data center experience, including a Meta hyperscale facility in Texas, but the end user, size, and investment for a Flint project all remain unclear. Any near-term development is on hold after the City Council passed a one-year moratorium, barring the city from accepting permit applications, site plans, or any new construction for data centers.
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 still appeal.
Prologis “Technical Campus” in Washington Township: San Francisco-based real estate giant Prologis sought to rezone 312 acres of agricultural and industrial land near 32 Mile Road and M-53 in Macomb County before abruptly withdrawing its plans in May. Residents had organized protests over rural character, grid and water impacts, and the site’s proximity to schools. Township officials have since passed a six-month moratorium, and the developers intend to wait until the township adopts an ordinance before reapplying for a rezoning.
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 in April, just before a City Council vote it was likely to lose. The Council has since passed a six-month moratorium that took effect July 27, and is drafting an ordinance to set guardrails on future proposals. Deep Green has indicated it still intends to pursue a project elsewhere in Michigan.
Data center in York Township: Sansone Group explored buying roughly 412 acres off Platt Road in Washtenaw County, currently owned by Toyota, for a data center, but withdrew after the township made clear it would not modify an existing deed restriction barring that land use on the site. York Township has also enacted a temporary moratorium on all data center applications while 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 campus in Livingston County drew intense community opposition before stalling. Both the township and Livingston County planning commissions recommended denying the rezoning, and the township board unanimously enacted a six-month moratorium, prompting developers to withdraw their application. The board voted to extend the moratorium another six months in May, through November, and officials are still drafting a local data center ordinance.
Data center in Augusta Township: Thor Equities’ proposed data center is dead for now after voters rejected industrial rezoning at the polls on Aug. 4, with nearly 90% opposed. That leaves the 522-acre site zoned residential agricultural. The township board had approved the rezoning last year before local residents organized the referendum. A parallel recall effort targeting all seven board members collapsed in August when Washtenaw County officials ruled the petitions legally insufficient, too late to restart for November. The site also falls under the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority’s moratorium on water and sewer service to data centers.
“Project Cherry Blossom” in Frenchtown Township: Houston-based Cloverleaf Infrastructure floated a roughly 200-acre data center on a former golf course near I-75 and North Dixie Highway in Monroe County. The proposal drew significant community pushback. Cloverleaf held an informational meeting on the project last year but has otherwise kept quiet about its plans. In April, the township board adopted a moratorium barring applications for data centers, and in June confirmed it is not seeking a data center for the North Dixie Highway site.
“Project Ironwood” in Dundee Township: Cloverleaf Infrastructure examined a 750-acre site spanning Dundee and Milan townships for a data center known as Project Ironwood. The proposal collapsed amid local opposition, with Cloverleaf withdrawing its agreement in October 2025. Township officials have since enacted a temporary moratorium on data center projects.
Franklin Partners in Pavilion Township: Illinois-based real estate firm Franklin Partners explored building a data center on 265 acres in Kalamazoo County’s Pavilion Township, but withdrew its rezoning request after community backlash. 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 on an aggressive timeline for approval. As of publication, none have formally advanced.
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 drew pushback from residents, and Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials indicated 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 is paused after the city approved a one-year moratorium on data center development. The project, led by developer Raeden, would repurpose an industrial building along W. Jefferson Avenue and could reportedly draw as much electricity as 80,000 homes. Residents have raised concerns about energy costs, air quality, and environmental impacts. The moratorium includes a waiver provision, so the project could still advance. Raeden is now suing, alleging the ban is unlawful and was adopted specifically to target the project.
Data center in Springfield Township: An unnamed developer, described in township records only as a “long-established data center development group,” has expressed interest in an 84-acre tract in the Andersonville Road area of northern Oakland County. Plans reportedly call for two or three 250,000-square-foot buildings. No formal application has been filed. Township officials moved preemptively, enacting a 180-day moratorium barring data center plans from being approved, and directing the Planning Commission to write new zoning regulations.
Harbor Farmz site in Kalamazoo: Cannabis processor Harbor Farmz announced in June that it is selling its facility at 2839 Full Circle Drive and marketing the 4-acre site as a potential data center. The pitch is loose: no developer named, no formal proposal filed, no approval sought. The city has stressed that any buyer would need to bring a new site plan before the Planning Commission. Kalamazoo adopted a temporary data center moratorium in August, so any prospective buyer would face that hurdle as well.
Data center in Solon Township: Plans by an unnamed tech company to build a data center in Solon Township in Kent County are on hold. The township adopted a six-month moratorium in February, extended it another six months in August, and is drafting a zoning ordinance in the meantime. The opposition has organized under the “Stop Solon Township Data Center” group, citing environmental impacts, water and electricity use, and tax exemptions. The Planning Commission held a public hearing for a draft ordinance in June and tabled the issue.
Proactive moratoria: More than 50 Michigan cities and townships have enacted temporary bans on data center development, ranging from rural townships to some of the state’s largest communities. Among them: Warren, Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, Dearborn, Taylor, Kalamazoo, Pontiac, Waterford Township, East Lansing, Portage, and Saginaw. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has adopted an indefinite moratorium on tribal lands. Dozens more communities have no proposals in hand but are drafting regulations in case one arrives, including Bay City, Coldwater, Corunna, Ionia, and Negaunee. State lawmakers have introduced bills to pause data center development statewide, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she would veto them. Instead, Whitmer has offered a voluntary pledge for developers.
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: Will Lawrence unveils new plan to pause AI development
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