NORTHVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Northville city leaders have unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on data centers and similar industrial facilities, making it the first Michigan community in the southeast region to take proactive action before any proposals emerge.
The decision comes as residents across Michigan flood town halls and meetings to voice concerns about data center proposals popping up in communities from Lyon Township to Howell Township.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report below:
Unlike other communities that have reacted to specific proposals, Northville acted preemptively despite having no current data center applications.
"I think the city council saw what was going on in surrounding communities instead of just waiting for an application to come. We want to be proactive and prevent potentially an unwanted use or challenges that go along with data centers," Community Development Director Justin Quagliata said.
The 12-month pause will halt review of any data center applications while city officials examine amending their zoning ordinance to address potential gaps.
Quagliata anticipates robust community discussion on the topic, noting the statewide concern about data center development.
"I think that this will be probably a topic that gets a lot of feedback just based on what's going on in the state. A lot of people are concerned and they want to know what's happening, so I anticipate it'll be a pretty robust discussion," Quagliata said.
Community members expressed relief at the proactive approach.
"I'm actually glad that they're being proactive about this. Having a data center in my town makes me a little nervous," Northville resident and business owner Shauna Parzuchowski said.
Related video: Michigan Public Service Commission approves DTE contract for Saline Township data center project
Orin Mazzoni, owner of Orin Jewelers, praised the council's measured approach.
"I think it's very important and I give them a lot of credibility for taking the time to evaluate it and not rush into anything," Mazzoni said.
Northville resident Frank Gonda applauded the decision to pause and evaluate.
“I love hearing that we are being proactive because the speed, the urgency and the lack of transparency that seems to be going along when they’re introduced to a community, I think, is quite a bit of information in itself. There’s not a whole lot of clarity of what’s going on, so I really applaud that there’s some people that are calling time-out on this to make wise decisions going forward," Frank said.
Related video: Data center opponents protest at Michigan Capitol and call for moratorium
Howell Township eventually implemented a six-month data center moratorium after facing proposals.
Protests at the state Capitol have called on lawmakers to issue a statewide moratorium, but that has not happened yet.
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