At an overflow special meeting Wednesday evening, the Saline Township Board voted unanimously to rescind its earlier decision to rezone property tied to a proposed superscale data center from A-1 Agricultural to I-1 Industrial.
The decision followed remarks from David Landry, the attorney representing the township in litigation filed by Related Digital and property owners over the project. Landry explained that leaving the property zoned industrial could allow future industrial uses if the data center were to cease operations.
“If the data center goes away in two years and the property is zoned industrial, then if another company can define a need for an industrial use, that could go on the property,” Landry said. “If you leave the zoning as A-1 agricultural, the land use could then revert back to agricultural.”
Landry also explained that the consent agreement governing the project could not be altered by current or future zoning decisions. Under that agreement, the permitted use of the property is defined by the consent agreement itself, not by zoning, and includes conditions intended to mitigate residents’ concerns.
Residents determined to force a referendum vote on the rezoning of the property voiced objections to the data center during citizens’ comments. Comments included remarks that have been made at previous meetings. There were challenges to the board, limiting time during citizens’ comments; using improper or illegal procedures in conducting township business; receiving inadequate advice from the consulting attorney and planner; and veiled comments suggesting malfeasance by board members.
There were moments during the meeting when members of the public shouted their disagreement with the discussion, including obscenities. Some residents used their time to raise a legal basis to support their views, with one member suggesting that attorney David Landry needed to read the Michigan laws again.
After public comment concluded, the board returned to Landry for clarification. He stated that the township clerk has 15 days from the date of a zoning decision to submit it for public notice. Because the rezoning vote occurred on Jan. 14, the deadline would have been Jan. 29, meaning proper procedure had been followed.
The Board also discussed the idea of declaring a moratorium on future industrial development within the township to allow for further study about where potential future industrial uses could be located. Landry said that was an option and would allow the board time to study the issue. Landry emphasized that changing the zoning back to A-1 and a moratorium on future industrial uses would do nothing to stop progress on the Related Digital data center project.
Garu Luckhardt, the Saline Township Planning Commission Chair, was in attendance and was instructed to add the study of future industrial use within the township to an upcoming planning commission meeting agenda.
Trustee Tom Hammond asked members of the public to notify him directly if they have concerns about the activities at the data center, including suspected violations of the consent agreement.
In the end, the board voted 5 – 0 to change the designation of the property for the data center from I-1 back to A-1, to ensure any future use of the property would remain agricultural should the data center cease operations. And with that vote, any referendum on the Related Digital superscale data center project ended as a consent agreement is not subject to a referendum vote.
In his remarks, Landry advised the board that people could still proceed to force the referendum vote. He said the board would respond that the referendum didn’t apply, and ultimately, he believed, the township would prevail.
Featured photo: The Saline Twp Board once again faced a full house regarding Related Digital’s data center. Photo by Steve Sheldon
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