It was an over-capacity crowd that forced Gaines Township leaders to postpone Thursday’s public hearing on Microsoft’s request to rezone a property located at Patterson Avenue and 76th Street southeast of Grand Rapids.
In recent months, community leaders across Michigan have heard from residents raising concerns about data centers and their massive energy and water use, noise, environmental impacts, energy grid stability, and transparency of development deals.
Supporters cite tax revenue, jobs and investment as project benefits.
In Gaines Township, the rezoning to light industrial use would match the zoning of the adjacent property that Microsoft would likely use to build a data center, says Community Development Director Dan Wells, although he notes that no formal plans have been submitted.
Wells says this is the second rezoning request postponement – the first public hearing was in February, but he says no one showed up.
Fast forward to Thursday’s hearing when more than 250 people showed up exceeding fire regulations.
By law, failure to allow public access could violate the Open Meetings Act.
Wells says the hearing will be rescheduled to a larger venue, adding that details and date should be announced soon.
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