Wayne County commissioners override Warren Evans' veto on Van Buren Township data center tax incentives
The back-and-forth over a Google data center in Van Buren Township continues as Wayne County commissioners override County Executive Warren Evans' veto over tax incentives.
The commission voted 13-0 on Thursday, noting that the vote was not for approval of the building's construction or authorization of a development agreement. Commissioner Allen Wilson, whose district includes Van Buren Township, said he previously voted against the data center but is having a "change of heart" after receiving more information about the project.
Two commissioners were absent from the meeting.
"I would be remiss if I didn't support my commission today in overriding this veto," Wilson said in the meeting.
The 230-acre proposed data center, Project Cannoli, would be located near Haggerty Road and Interstate 94. According to township documents, the developer plans to construct three data center buildings on the property. Township officials say that when fully operational, the facility would use between 2 million and 3.6 million gallons of water and purchase it from the township.
In March 2026, officials said that Google would be the company behind the project, which received a 5-2 site approval from the Van Buren Planning Commission in February.
Evans submitted his veto on Sept. 25, arguing that it was "a rejection of a rushed process that did not provide sufficient time for public participation, independent analysis, and informed decision making."
"Google pressed Wayne County to act within approximately two weeks on a proposal with potentially long-term consequences for residents, local government, infrastructure, water and energy resources, the environment, and County finances. Wayne County should establish its own timetable for protecting the public interest. It should not allow a private corporation to create urgency and then use that urgency to force a decision," Evans said.
During Thursday's meeting, Commissioner Monica Baker McCormick initially suggested holding a meeting to gather community input on the project, but later said she'd back Wilson in supporting the project.
"Thank you, Commissioner Wilson, for clarifying your position, and because you are the boots on the ground, you're the commissioner in the area. If you support it, I support it," Baker McCormick said.
Following Thursday's vote, Warren released the following statement:
"Governments have a system of checks and balances for a reason. I spelled out clearly my concerns with the tax abatements given to the Van Buren Township Data Center in my veto of the Commission's approval of the plan negotiated with the Data Center project. I feel the same way after the veto override. My job is to do what I think is best for Wayne County and its residents. The Commission I assume did what they thought was best. Now, we as a County must come together and make it work."
In addition to the commission's vote, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved DTE's energy contract for the data center, with the condition that customers would not incur any costs associated with it.
The 20-year contract includes Google covering at least 80% of electricity use. Google would also have to pay for at least 15 years of minimum monthly charges if it cancels the project early. Additionally, the tech giant would have to pay DTE Electric to develop up to 1,600 megawatts of renewable energy and 480 megawatts of battery energy storage.
