EAST LANSING, Mich — The city of East Lansing is currently reviewing ways to amend its zoning laws to address data center land use as Lansing sees the plug pulled on data center plans in downtown.
- East Lansing approved a six-month moratorium on data center construction on March 17th
- The planning commission has until September 17th to complete its study and make recommendations
- Lansing City Council member Deyanira Nevarez Martinez submitted a draft resolution Monday night to ban data center building in downtown and commercial properties
WATCH: EAST LANSING UNDER DATA CENTER MORATORIUM AS PROJECT IS PULLED IN LANSING
I met East Lansing resident Danita Brandt at Tuesday night's city council meeting. When I asked if she'd welcome a 'perfect data center' that wouldn't impact the environment, her response was blunt.
"The perfect data center. I think that's some sort of oxymoron," Brandt said.
At the last meeting on St. Patrick's Day, city leaders approved a six-month moratorium halting data center construction in East Lansing. Brandt believes this will give the city a chance to look at all angles regarding data centers.
WATCH: WHAT COULD THE DATA CENTER WITHDRAW MEAN FOR LANSING'S ECONOMIC GROWTH
"I would expect to see a very thorough discussion and public meetings and laying out all the facts and all the numbers before any decision gets made," Brandt said.
Lansing City Council member Deyanira Nevarez Martinez submitted a similar resolution Monday night. She said it would ban data center building in downtown and commercial properties, believing more companies will try and propose plans.
"The intent is to ensure that proposals of this scale and impact receive appropriate sighting, stronger standards and meaningful public input... We're still going to be the target of folks wanting to place these in our community," Nevarez Martinez said.
WATCH: MASON CITY COUNCIL REPEALS DATA CENTER ORDINANCE, FUTURE REGULATION UNCLEAR
Brandt wants to know all the pros and cons to know how it helps or hurts her home.
As East Lansing moves forward with its review process, Brandt acknowledges there's still much unknown about data center regulation.
"What kind of regulation would we need. There is so much that is unknown at this point," she said.
The planning commission will have until September 17th to complete its study. Their findings will then go to city council along with any recommendations on a data center draft ordinance.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want more FOX 47 News? Here's how you download our Roku app
You can also see the latest news from across our mid-Michigan neighborhoods by liking us on Facebook or following us on X.
