LANSING, Mich — Conversations about a proposed data center in Lansing continued Monday night as residents and city leaders discussed the next steps in the approval process.
- Lansing residents continued voicing concerns Monday about a proposed Deep Green data center near downtown between Cedar and Larch streets.
- Some community members raised concerns about pollution, environmental impacts, and how the project could affect downtown activity.
- The Lansing Planning Commission recommended approval of the rezoning request needed for the project.
- City council scheduled two public hearings — March 23 for the sale of city property and April 6 for the rezoning request.
The project, proposed by Deep Green, would place a data center near downtown Lansing between Cedar and Larch streets. The plan has been under discussion for months and remains a major topic of debate among community members.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, several residents voiced concerns about the project and questioned whether the development would benefit the city.
One resident said they have yet to hear a convincing argument for why Lansing should welcome a data center.
“We’ve been at this six months and I’ve still yet to hear a convincing argument along the lines of why I, as a Lansing resident, should want a data center in my city,” the resident said.
Others raised environmental concerns and worries about potential impacts on nearby businesses and attractions.
“You haven’t listened to us about the pollution and what this is going to do,” another resident told council members.
Some community members also said the project could affect how people use and visit the downtown area.
“It would deter me from bringing a business downtown, bringing my kids to Impression 5 all the time — things like that,” another resident said.
Deep Green representatives have previously defended the proposal, saying the facility would not require large amounts of water or energy compared to other developments.
“To give you a picture, I’d expect our usage to be something similar to the Wendy’s across from our site annually,” the company’s CEO said during discussions.
The proposal has received significant feedback from residents, business owners and city leaders. Earlier concerns about procedural issues led city council members to delay a vote to allow the company time to address those questions.
Since then, city officials say some language in the proposal has been updated.
According to council member Peter Spadafore, the changes helped move the process forward.
The Lansing Planning Commission has now voted to recommend approval of the rezoning request needed for the project.
During Monday’s council meeting, council members also voted to schedule two upcoming public hearings. One hearing on the potential sale of city-owned property tied to the project is set for March 23, while a second hearing on the rezoning request will take place on April 6.
Those hearings will give residents another opportunity to weigh in before the city council decides whether the project will move forward.
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