LOWELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – What was expected to be a high-capacity public hearing on a proposed data center in Kent County’s Lowell Township instead suffered an early system failure, ending before it began.

Standing-room only leads to postponement.

Lowell Township Planning Commission Chair David Simmonds adjourned the meeting after the fire marshal raised concerns about the 121 people in the room, a number that exceeded safety protocols.  “Is there anyone willing to leave?” Simmonds asked the crowd that had spilled over into the hallway. When the crowd stayed, Simmons made a motion. “I move that this meeting and the public hearing scheduled for tonight be adjourned and postponed until a later date to be held at the Lowell High School.” That announcement drew applause from residents.

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After the meeting, Simmonds told the media that municipalities cannot hold a meeting if the space is over capacity.

Are data centers the new megasite in Michigan?

The term “data center” has popped up in Michigan conversations over the last few months, and it appears reminiscent of the megasite push during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s second term. Those projects in Big Rapids, Clinton County, and Genesee County have all crashed and burned.

The Whitmer administration used taxpayer-funded incentives to entice foreign companies to set up shop in Michigan. The legislature clawed back the money on the Gotion project in Big Rapids. The Mundy Township site in Genesee County saw its third potential buyer pull out this summer

Data centers, which house computers, networking equipment, and storage systems for digital data, are now on the agendas of local governments in several Michigan communities. Those include a proposed data center in Washtenaw County’s Saline Township and a now delayed project in Livingston County’s Howell Township.