LANSING, Mich — The conversation surrounding a proposed Deep Green data center in a Lansing neighborhood continued Monday night, as more than 100 residents gathered at City Hall to hear from company officials and voice their opinions on the project.
- More than 100 Lansing residents packed City Hall Monday night to hear from Deep Green officials and share divided opinions on a proposed data center in their neighborhood.
- The proposed facility would be built on Kalamazoo Street between Cedar and Larch streets and could bring a $120 million investment and over 50 jobs to Lansing, according to the company.
- Supporters say the project could create meaningful, long-term job opportunities for local families and boost the city’s economy.
- Opponents raised concerns about transparency, potential health impacts, and whether Deep Green will fulfill its promises to the city and residents.
WATCH: Proposed Deep Green data center presentation draws large crowd at Lansing city council meeting
The meeting, which drew such a large crowd that it spilled out of the City Council chambers and into the City Hall lobby, highlighted the strong and often divided feelings among neighbors about the proposed development.
Deep Green representatives addressed community concerns during a presentation, emphasizing that public feedback has played a role in shaping the company’s mission.
“There’s obviously a lot of interest in this project and strong feelings around data center development both in Lansing and at the state level in Michigan,” said Deep Green officials. “At these events, we try to show that we share these concerns — and these same concerns are exactly why we started Deep Green.”
The proposed data center would be located on Kalamazoo Street between Cedar and Larch streets. During the presentation, Deep Green CEO Mark Lee said the project would bring more than $120 million in investment to Lansing and create over 50 jobs if approved.
For some residents, the potential economic impact is a reason for support.
“If we can create 10 to 15 opportunities for families — permanent opportunities that weren’t there before — every one of those matters,” said Adam Pease, IBEW Local 352 assistant business manager. “These are chances for people to change their life.”
Others, however, expressed skepticism and concern about whether the company would meet its commitments to the city and surrounding neighborhood.
“I’m not in favor of the data center for a couple different reasons,” said Zoe Yanik. “Mainly because I’m not confident they’ll deliver on the promises that they said they would to the City of Lansing.”
Additional concerns raised by neighbors included transparency, potential health impacts, and long-term effects on the community.
“There’s a lack of transparency,” said Jerry Norris, Founder of the Fledge. “There are a lot of things that could damage the health of people in the area and generally increase the risk of not being prosperous or being able to meet our basic needs.”
City officials say discussions on the proposed data center are ongoing, with future meetings expected as the process continues.
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