ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Washtenaw County judge denied a motion by a Saline Township resident to intervene in a legal settlement that allowed construction of a massive data center to proceed, dealing a blow to neighbors who have fought the project from the beginning.
Watch Brett Kast's video report:
The more than one gigawatt data center, being built for Oracle and OpenAI by developer Related Digital, has faced strong opposition from local residents since its inception. Construction has been underway for weeks on the 250-acre project along Michigan Avenue, transforming former farmland into a large data center.
Kathryn Haushalter, who lives near the construction site, said the project has already disrupted her daily life even before becoming operational.
"I'm already concerned about the effects this has had, and it's not even in yet," Haushalter said. "It does affect my day-to-day, every day. Even if I'm in my house, I hear gravel trains slamming, I hear backup alarms from heavy equipment."
The legal battle stems from the township's initial denial of the project. Related Digital and the landowners sued the township, resulting in a settlement and consent agreement that allowed construction to move forward. Haushalter and her attorney then sought to intervene in that agreement, arguing they should have a voice in decisions affecting their community.
PREVIOUS REPORT:MPSC approves DTE contract for Saline Township data center projectHaushalter's attorney, Robby Dube, says the case in front of the judge on Friday focused solely on whether his client had the right to participate in the agreement.
"It was not 'should the consent judgment be set aside or kept', it was not 'was there an OMA (Open Meetings Act) violation or not', and it was not 'should there be a data center or not'. It was purely, Does Kathryn even get to come into the case to make her arguments?" Dube said.
In part, the judge sided with the landowners' argument that the intervention request came too late in a closed case.
"They have not met any of the requirements of intervention in this closed case; it's untimely, it's prejudicial," said Alan Greene, attorney representing the landowners.
Despite the setback, Haushalter and other residents remain determined to continue their opposition through legal channels.
"We really feel like this is being forced on us continually, and we will keep pushing back and saying no, every way we can legally," Haushalter said.
PREVIOUS REPORT:FULL INTERVIEW: Attorney General Dana Nessel on data centers in MichiganThe residents have ongoing concerns about environmental impacts, health effects, and potential increases to electric bills if the data center becomes operational. They also have a separate pending claim against the township.
PREVIOUS REPORT:Saline Township residents raise concerns, anger against incoming data centerTim Bruneau, another resident living near the data center site, said the fight is about protecting the community's future.
"We're just trying to stick up for our township. For our water, for our air, for our children, for our future," Bruneau said.
Related Digital declined to comment on the case and project status. Dube said they can appeal the judge's ruling, and residents indicated their legal battle is far from over.
"It's just deeply personal for a lot of us, a lot of us feel very strongly, and we do feel that the law and truth is on our side," Haushalter said.
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