A divided board and an angry crowd

The Lowell Township Board of Trustees voted 5-2 on Monday night to reject a proposed six-month moratorium on data center development, sparking boos, shouts of "recall," and accusations from residents that the board ignored their concerns.

The vote came as Microsoft weighs a plan to build a $1 billion hyperscale data center campus at the Covenant Business Park in Lowell Township, just outside Grand Rapids.

"Look out into this audience. You have an audience full of people who are willing to help you in this fight. Wouldn't you like to be known as the township that fought back against the data center and won?"

That was the plea of Jessica Mazarka to the board during public comments, according to Michigan Public. Her appeal was not enough to sway the majority.

How the vote went down

Lowell's First Look counted 110 people in the audience at the Lowell Performing Arts Center when public comments began. Of the 20 people who spoke on agenda items, 18 opposed data centers or supported the moratorium.

The only person to speak in favor of data centers was James Callahan of the Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council. He said the projects could create construction jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.

"With the building trades, all our jobs are temporary," Callahan said.

The moratorium motion was made by Treasurer Ronda Benedict and seconded by Clerk Monica Burtt. On a roll call vote, it was defeated.

The five trustees who voted against the moratorium were:

• Supervisor Jerry Hale
• Trustee Mark Anderson
• Trustee Bill Thompson
• Trustee Andy Vander Ziel
• Trustee Carlton Blough

Burtt and Benedict voted in favor.

The committee compromise

After the moratorium failed, the board voted to form a committee to draft a future data center ordinance. Trustee Carlton Blough proposed a committee of two board members, two planning commissioners, and three township residents.

"We're not going to move on a data center until we come up with an ordinance," Blough said, according to Lowell's First Look.

Trustee Andy Vander Ziel agreed with the committee approach.

"This is no race. This is a long-term project. We have many, many meetings and workshops in front of us," Vander Ziel said.

Some residents questioned why Blough and Vander Ziel voted against the moratorium while simultaneously advocating for a slower, more deliberate process.

"If you can't move fast, why did you vote no on the moratorium?" one man asked during public comments.

The $17.5 million grant vote

The board also voted on a separate but related issue. On a 4-3 vote, trustees approved a grant agreement with The Right Place, an economic development organization. The state grant is for $17.5 million and would help pay for utility lines to be run from the City of Lowell to the Covenant Business Park.

Burtt, Benedict, and Blough voted against the grant. Vander Ziel, Thompson, Anderson, and Hale voted in favor.

Residents expressed concerns during public comments about The Right Place's fees and the possibility that the money would need to be repaid with interest if no development occurs at the site.

Microsoft's response

A Microsoft spokesperson told Michigan Public that the company is committed to responsible development.

"We are focused on making sure our presence adds value and respects local priorities, and we look forward to continued collaboration with township officials and community members as we listen and refine our application to reflect those priorities," the spokesperson said.

What is at stake

The Covenant Business Park is a 237-acre site bordered by Cascade Road and I-96. The land is currently vacant and zoned for industrial planned unit development, according to Lowell's First Look.

Michigan has become an attractive destination for data centers due to its cool climate and freshwater resources. The state has seen a surge of proposals as tech companies expand their infrastructure to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Lowell's situation mirrors debates happening across the country. Just one day after Lowell's vote, Meridian Township east of Lansing unanimously adopted a six-month moratorium on data center development, according to Michigan Public.

"Do I think that Meridian Township is the best place for a data center? No," Meridian Township Supervisor Scott Hendrickson said. "But, in the off chance that someone does, we want to make sure that we've got a regulatory framework in place to handle that and keep our residents' interests safe."

What happens next

The Lowell Township committee will begin accepting applications from township residents to serve on it. The board has not set a timeline for when the committee will deliver its recommendation on a data center ordinance.

The investigation into what rules the township will adopt remains ongoing. Any future data center proposal will still require approval from the Township Board, either through a rezoning process or a planned unit development review.

Anyone with information about the data center proposal or concerns about the process is encouraged to attend future Lowell Township Board meetings or contact the township directly.