Developer withdraws rezoning application for proposed data center in Howell Township
The developer behind the rezoning request for the proposed data center in Howell Township, Michigan, has withdrawn their application.
According to a Facebook post on Sunday, the application for rezoning by an unnamed Fortune 100 company has been officially withdrawn.
The post read in part, "We believe the right thing to do now is to honor the current moratorium, which will give the Township and its residents the time needed to develop thoughtful, well-considered regulations for any future data centers."
CBS News Detroit contacted the Howell Township Board treasurer, who says he expects the withdrawal to be temporary and that we could see an updated application when the six-month moratorium on rezoning ends.
The original plan was to build a data center on about 1,000 acres of land currently owned by the Van Gilder family, which was met with quick and sustained backlash from the community. CBS News Detroit reached out to Ryan Van Gilder, who referred our request to the Facebook post.
Previous meetings to discuss the project drew hundreds of people with concerns over the environmental impact, additional strain on the electric grid and water accessibility. Many people also said they just don't want such a large building in Livingston County.
"The interesting thing about this is that I've met thousands of people in the last few months who have so many different concerns about this one project," said Breanne Green, an organizer with the Stop the Data Center Livingston County group. "Whether people are worried about environmental concerns or about transparency, there are a lot of reasons for us to come together."
Despite the removal of the application, Green said she still wants to see a strong presence at Monday night's meeting, which is still set to take place at the Rod Bushey Performing Arts Center.
"The board is still meeting, and they're still discussing the text amendment; they're still discussing the definition of data processing, and so it's very important that we come and we give our input," she said.
