MASON, Mich — For the last couple of weeks, I have been following all things data centers and more specifically what it would look like in my neighborhood of Mason. Here's the latest update.
"I heard they were popping up all over the state," said Megan Short.
Short is talking about data centers, a rather new concept to keep up with the AI evolution.
WATCH BELOW: Mason city council to vote Monday on controversial data center ordinance
Data centers are needed to help run and support AI and computing. However, they require large amounts of electricity and significant water resources, and that has led to some concerns as the city develops an ordinance around data center requirements.
Short says the land surrounding her home is what makes Mason, well Mason. Which is why she voiced her concern at this week's planning commission meeting.
I spoke with City Manager Deb Stuart who says the city has been researching how to best handle a potential data center for over a year but says the city is still open to feedback.
"We've reviewed ordinances in Michigan, in Ohio, we've reviewed ordinances and how they've evolved in states that have had data centers for a while," Stuart said.
Stuart tells me the city truly does care what the people want, as local officials live there too.
"We want the same for the future of Mason. But also moving towards the future we have to evolve," Stuart said.
A large concern Stuart saw at the planning meeting had to do with electric rates.
On Thursday, Brandon Hofmeister at Consumers Energy told me that they now have protections in place to help customers.
"We don't want to raise any residential customer costs because a large data center comes to Michigan," Hofmeister said.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, however, has asked for a rehearing on the new rules, arguing they may not go far enough to ensure ratepayers are shielded from additional costs.
Meanwhile, Short tells me she's not against data centers completely, she just thinks there needs to be more work done on the city's ordinance.
"The ordinance does not protect anyone. It's converting beautiful agricultural land in a residential neighborhood into a major industrial zone," Short said.
Council is set to make a final decision on the proposed ordinance Monday. I'll have more next week.
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