A petition drive is underway in Augusta Township to have voters decide the fate of the proposed $1 billion data center. They want to overturn the Board of Trustees’ decision to approve its rezoning.
The group is getting help from the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition. Political Director Dennis Black says such centers can cause more trouble than they’re worth.
“There’s an increase in concerns of noise pollution where the decibels that are coming from the facility exceeds in some places what city ordinances would allow.”
Supporters of the data center say a lot of misinformation regarding the project is being distributed. Ann Arbor SPARK Chief of Staff Phil Santer says they’ve visited a center in Ohio, and the noise is not as bad as what’s feared.
“And there is a lot of construction going on in New Albany, (Ohio). They’ve got four and a half million square feet of that stuff, and they got another million that’s being delivered right now. So, when the construction noise isn’t occurring, it wasn’t a loud operator.”
Those seeking a public vote need to collect 561 signatures by August 26th. It would have to be a special election.
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