“Boo! Shame on you!”
The Lowell Charter Township Board met with boos and shouts for recall when it voted 5-2 against a proposed six-month moratorium on data center development.
Microsoft has revealed plans to build a hyperscale data center at Covenant Business Park.
Township Clerk Monica Burtt was one of the two “yes” votes stating:
“I believe this moratorium that's being proposed would give the planning commission and the Lowell Charter Township Board time to establish a zoning ordinance to consider all the comments and the concerns over the past six months.
Before the vote, the majority of attendees spoke in favor of the moratorium and against approving a grant agreement to fund water and sewer upgrades at the business park.
Afterward, when neither vote went their way, attendee Marjorie Steele urged the board to reconsider.
“The last time I saw board members display this level of ignorance, arrogance, and blatant disregard for their constituents. Every single member of that board was recalled.”
Board members also voted to create a specialized working group to draft a data center zoning ordinance and advise the board on the issue.
The committee will include two board members, two planning commissioners and at least three private citizens.
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