Google $GOOGL won final site plan approval on Wednesday for a data center campus in Van Buren Township, Michigan, after months of resident opposition, according to Bridge Michigan. The township planning commission voted 5-1 to approve the plan.
Google anticipates that the 1-gigawatt facility will begin pulling electricity from the grid in late 2027, according to Bridge Michigan. Site plans show six buildings occupying 150 acres of the 282-acre property, while open space will cover the rest. Construction is under way, according to WXYZ.
Residents raised concerns about noise, dust, environmental effects, property values and water use during public meetings, according to WXYZ. Ashley Shukait, a neighbor whose subdivision borders the site, said construction crews operate behind homes between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., six or seven days each week, according to Bridge Michigan. She said dust has entered homes since August. "Our houses shake," Shukait said.
Township officials said state law obligates the planning commission to sign off on any proposal that complies with local ordinance requirements, according to WXYZ. The property's industrial zoning is longstanding, according to Bridge Michigan.
Commissioner Medina Atchinson said before the vote: “If a data center is coming to Van Buren Township, I personally would want Google,” according to Bridge Michigan.
Adam Kramer, president of Pannatoni Data Centers, the project’s developer, said the developer has spent tens of millions on design changes intended to ease the impact on neighboring residential areas, according to WXYZ. "We've worked hard over the last three years to take as much community feedback into the site plan and the design," Kramer said.
State utility regulators approved a 20-year power contract between Google and DTE Energy $DTE on Oct. 1, according to Bridge Michigan. State environmental regulators granted the project its wetland permits in August. The facility will be able to pull as much as 3.6 million gallons of water daily from the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Township and Wayne County officials agreed to cut the facility's local tax bill in half, a break valued at roughly $125 million across 12 years, according to Bridge Michigan. Google has also committed $15.4 million to the township for local infrastructure projects, along with a guarantee of at least 51 full-time positions at the site.
Underground utility work will proceed in eight phases, according to project documents cited by WXYZ. Early phases are expected to last until the end of 2026, followed by more work in early 2027, and the final phases are slated for March 2027.
Opposition to the project has led to a push to recall every member of the township board, according to Bridge Michigan.