Delhi Township considering data center resolution days after proposal made public
Delhi Township officials have called a special meeting tonight as opposition swirls over a data center proposed for the community Tuesday by a regional economic development group.
The proposal had few details – $10 billion and a 423-acre site – and the township almost immediately withdrew from the economic development group.
Instead of approaching the township’s board of trustees, a typical first step, LEAP and Lighthouse hosted a news conference Tuesday and said they wanted to start a community conversation about a potential $10 billion, 700-megawatt data center plan for Delhi Township, sometimes known as Holt.
On Wednesday, the township announced that it had withdrawn from the economic development group.
On Thursday, township board members scheduled a special meeting for Friday to address the development.
On Friday, Delhi Township Supervisor Eddie Montemayor said in a statement that he was effectively renouncing his membership on LEAP’s board.
“I had a ceremonial seat on the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) board of directors because Delhi Township, the same as many Lansing area municipalities, was a dues-paying member of LEAP. This was simply a ceremonial position, and I have never attended a LEAP event, function or meeting and did not realize that simply having the Township be a member of the organization would also mean I would be on the organization’s website under its board of directors. The Township’s decision this week to end its LEAP membership should also end any confusion about my non-existent role on the organization’s board.”
LEAP’s website lists 90 board members or ex-officio members, with more than a dozen county or city leaders such as mayors of Lansing, St. Johns, Mason, Charlotte, Williamston, DeWitt, Grand Ledge; the chairs of both the Clinton and Eaton county Boards of Commissioners and a member of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners; the city manager of Eaton Rapids; and township supervisors of DeWitt, Windsor and Delta townships.
Other LEAP board members include executives from DTN Management, the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, Dean Transportation, Michigan State University, Eyde Development, Jackson (the company), Grewal Law, Dart Bank, Delta Dental, Lansing State Journal, Martin Commercial Properties, the Capital Region Airport Authority, Lansing Board of Water and Light, Peckham Industries, Fifth Third Bank, Capitol National Bank, The Christman Company, PNC Financial Services, ITC Holdings, LG Energy Solutions, LAFCU, Consumers Energy and Auto Owners Insurance.
Lighthouse Sustainability is a data center development group focused on “environmental stewardship, energy affordability and community benefit.” The organization had its eyes set on Holt Economic Opportunity Park, a 423-acre site off of College Road.
Delhi Township currently has a 12-month moratorium on data center development, which is set to expire in April 2027. According to LEAP’s Trezise, that would give the group plenty of time to gather resident input.
The site is surrounded by housing complexes as well as manufacturing like RSDC of Michigan and Pratt & Whitney. The property is not zoned for industrial use. A rezoning application would need be submitted if Delhi Township residents wanted to move forward with the plan.
LEAP had not named a potential end user, but Trezise said companies are interested. Trezise stressed that a project was not yet planned and an end user had not been identified.
As resident input is integral to the process, LEAP planned to host weekly webinars to directly hear from residents, with one planned for Tuesday evening.
Objections on social media started almost immediately following the announcement.
Delhi terminates relationship
“Effective immediately, Delhi Township is ending our membership with the Lansing Economic Area Partnership,” spokesperson Tracy Miller said in a statement. “This decision reflects our Township’s commitment to putting our residents first, protecting local interests and ensuring we are always guided by what’s in the best interests of our community.”
LEAP’s initial announcement launched backlash from township officials almost immediately. Miller issued a statement that detailed a lack of communication between the township, LEAP and Lighthouse Sustainability.
“The Township is learning about the LEAP/Lighthouse Sustainability announcement at the same time as members of the media. Township Board members have not received any kind of land use application or proposal from a data center developer,” Miller said.
“To be very clear, this topic has not been discussed at Township Board meeting … The LEAP/Lighthouse effort is independent from the Delhi Township Board, Planning Commission or administration and the Township was not at all aware of this announcement before receiving a press release on Tuesday.”
In an unsigned statement provided by LEAP, the organization said the decision to go to the public first was intentional and aimed at avoiding putting officials in “an untenable position” of pitching it to residents.
“It is a proposal deserving of thoughtful consideration by the public and it deserved to be presented to the community for their awareness. And it is exactly what critics of recent large economic development projects have demanded. LEAP is proud to be setting that new standard.”
The data center proposal boasted huge local government benefits. If the project is completed, developers said it would more than triple the township’s tax revenue, from $23 million a year to $76 million annually. Lighthouse proposed a $20 million community fund, and the project would add an estimated $16 million a year to Holt and Mason public schools.
It is one of several major data center projects proposed in the area in the last year.
A pitch from the U.K.-based Deep Green to build a 24-megawatt data center in downtown Lansing fell flat after local backlash. A proposal from Ohio-based Comino Development to build a data center in Vevay Township is under consideration by the State Boundary Commission after a group of township property owners requested to annex the 400-acre site to the city of Mason make the project happen.
