The combined Saline Township Board and members of the Planning Commission hosted a joint fact-finding meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the township hall at 3 p.m. The meeting was arranged with the sole purpose of the members receiving additional information about the rezoning request by Related Digital for a 250-acre data center, proposed to be located north of US-12, just east of Dell Road.
Related Digital has a purchase agreement to buy 575 acres in Saline Township, with an additional 500 acres located in Bridgewater Township. The current proposal will see approximately 250 of the 575 acres in Saline Township to be developed, with three 540,000 square foot buildings with electronic equipment, an 80,000 square foot building that will have nine generators, a 100,000 square foot warehouse, and a small administrative office building.
Related Digital will have an on-site wastewater treatment plant and will drill a 112-foot well, using six-inch piping. The company reported they will be using an air-based cooling system, which will limit the amount of water required for the project. Current water usage projections are estimated to be 20,000 gallons per day. Water usage will be for domestic use, like drinking, sinks, toilets, etc. Once fully operational, the data center will have three shifts of 150 employees.
Township Consulting Attorney Fred Lucas:
Township consulting attorney Fred Lucas provided additional clarification. “The township currently has no land designated for industrial use, which could leave the township vulnerable to being sued for having exclusionary zoning,” Lucas said. “I can’t tell you that the township will be sued or it won’t be sued. Having land designated for industrial use puts the township in a stronger position to defend itself should it get sued because of its zoning ordinance.”
Lucas explained that the township could include a preliminary site plan as a part of the rezoning approval, which would ensure that what gets built on the land is what was on the preliminary site plan. “Even if the board approves the rezoning request, the developer will need to go through the site plan approval process,” Lucas said. “The site plan approval process provides the planning commission and the board a lot of control over what gets built on the property.”
Saline Area Schools & Taxes:
The proposed data center will pay an estimated $8,000,000 in annual taxes. Saline Area Schools would receive annually:
- School Debt (bonds) $2,681,250
- Washtenaw ISD $1,955.960
- Saline Sinking Fund $ 122,301
- Saline CARES Millage $ 174,782
Funds for the school debt, sinking fund, and CARES millage get paid directly to the Saline School District. The remaining funds get distributed by the State of Michigan via a predetermined formula.
Next Steps:
The special meeting was designated as fact-finding, and no official action would be taken. It is likely that the rezoning request will be included on the board agenda at its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, September 10th at 7 p.m.
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