Saline Township Meeting Draws Tense Data Center Debate

The April 8 Saline Township board meeting drew residents and activists from inside and outside the community. Many recorded on their phones as discussion of the Related Digital data center grew tense and expanded into concerns about safety, infrastructure and township decision-making.

The agenda included a scheduled “Related Digital/Data Center Update,” along with proposals for master plan update assistance and zoning ordinance consolidation. The board later tabled both items after public objections.

During the data center update, township consulting engineer Dan Cabbage said construction was moving ahead as expected. He said multiple foundations were under way, roads were in place and utility work was continuing. He added that the township had not seen sediment control problems despite recent heavy rain.

Cabbage said dewatering at the site was limited to trench work, not sitewide pumping. He also said the first round of groundwater monitoring data matched expected seasonal groundwater levels for the property.

Lighting remained one of the most frequent complaints.

Trustee Tom Hammond said the issue was still being addressed. A Walbridge representative told the board the lights had been mistakenly left on after “somebody new flipped them over.” He said security guards are now instructed to check the lights at night and that dark-sky fixtures aimed downward are expected to begin replacing some temporary lights.

Traffic was another concern raised during the meeting.

Township Clerk Kelly Marion said residents had asked for speed limits on local roads to be lowered to 25 mph, but the township had been told it did not qualify for that change. Hammond said the township had documented four traffic violations tied to the project. Officials said they expect truck traffic to lessen as more site-balancing work is completed.

Public comment stretched well beyond construction updates.

Several residents criticized township consulting planner Mike Auerbach and township consulting attorney Fred Lucas over zoning language tied to the data center dispute. Some urged the board to replace both. Speakers also raised concerns about 24-hour construction, lighting, runoff, DTE, cybersecurity and the broader risks they associate with large-scale data center development.

One resident said, “The people in this township deserve to have peace of mind and quiet at some point during the day.”

Another speaker told the board, “We need all the help we can get, because I guarantee you, Related Digital is not the last one that’s coming to knock on our door.”

Some members of the public said they had come from other parts of the state to support residents opposed to the data center.

At one point, a representative of Carlisle/Wortman Associates defended the firm’s work and said it hoped to rebuild trust through a public planning process.

“We do have the community’s best interest in mind,” the representative said. “We’d like to have the opportunity to rebuild some trust with you all through a public engagement type process.”

Still, the board tabled both a proposal for master plan update assistance and a proposal to consolidate the township’s zoning ordinance into a single current document.

The board meeting came one night after the Saline Township Planning Commission discussed many of the same issues. Its April 7 agenda included a moratorium discussion, reconsideration of the event barn zoning ordinance amendment and a master plan update notice of intent to plan.

At the April 8 board meeting, Hammond said the planning commission had voted to schedule a public hearing on a moratorium for May 5. He also said the commission had recommended that the board consider new legal counsel and new planning representation. Hammond said he did not think changing consultants in the middle of ongoing litigation was the right move, but said it should remain part of the discussion.

Beyond the data center discussion, the board approved moving forward with a land preservation contract, approved a mowing contract for the year and discussed cemetery work, including surveying at Case Road Cemetery and possible improvements at Union Cemetery.

Board members also voted to support joining the Saline Area Fire Department Fire Authority. Fire Chief Jason Sperle told them the authority model would better match the way the department already serves the region.

“We kind of function as one currently as we are,” Sperle said.

He said the department’s current structure has prevented it from qualifying for some grants and funding opportunities available to formal fire authorities.

The tensions come as construction continues and township officials keep posting project updates online, even as questions about oversight, planning and future development continue to draw sharp public attention.

Featured photo: A planning consultant addresses the Saline Township Board during a discussion about a proposed data center development. Photo by Heather Finch