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SOUTHFIELD — The Southfield City Council voted 5-2 in favor of a proposed data center site plan at its Dec. 15 meeting.
The data center would be placed on a vacant parcel of land along a stretch of Inkster Road between 11 Mile Road and Interstate 696. The site plan includes two stories, a substation with generators and a screening wall facing the nearby residential properties.
The data center would also be on a closed loop water system and utilize 100 megawatts of power. There would be no ground water usage. The center is also projected to create 35 engineering jobs.
At the meeting, Metrobloks Chief Investment Officer Jeff Mandel said the data center would not affect residents’ utility rates, as the center will be paying for its own upgrades and usage.
“Our proposed data center is a fraction of the size, a fraction of the water usage and a fraction of the electrical output of other centers,” he said.
Council members Charles Hicks and Ashanti Bland voted no on the site plan.
During the meeting, Bland said she was concerned about potential pollutants coming from the site.
“Compounded, I don’t think it’s a risk I want to take,” she said.
Hicks said that hearing from residents would add value to the project for Metrobloks. He said that a meeting could still be done as the data center goes through the stages of operation.
“If you want to do business and collaborate with the city, having a town hall is awesome,” he said. “You can hear where the public is coming from, and they hear from you.”
He said this may help bring some middle ground, clear up confusion and align everyone to move forward.
