DELHI TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Delhi Township has walked away from the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, ending its membership Wednesday, just one day after the regional economic development group went public with a possible data center of $10 billion or more in the township.
LEAP and developer Lighthouse Sustainability laid out the idea Tuesday. Their target is the Holt Economic Opportunity Park, a 423-acre property off College Road, bounded roughly by Holt Road to the north and US-127 to the east. The plan calls for about 700 megawatts of capacity. LEAP has not named a company that would use the site, and its chief executive, Bob Trezise, said no project is firm yet.
Rather than first bringing the plan to the township board, LEAP chose to take it straight to residents and collect their views through weekly webinars. Township leaders said they found out about the proposal at the same moment reporters did, and that no land use application had reached the board.
The township already has a one-year pause on data center projects that runs until April 2027, and the land is not zoned for industrial use, so a rezoning request would be needed. Trustees plan to meet in special session at 5:30 p.m. Friday and take up a resolution opposing data centers.
Backers point to the money. The project would push township tax revenue from $23 million to $76 million a year, add an estimated $16 million a year for Holt and Mason schools and set up a $20 million community fund. State Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, criticized how the plan was rolled out.
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