DETROIT (WXYZ) — A proposal to build a new data center on Detroit's east side involves 14.4 acres of city-owned property, but it may not happen as city council looks to tap the brakes.
Watch Simon Shaykhet's video report:
The land is off of Shoemaker St., north of the Stellantis Jeep Plant and south of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport, just off of I-94 near Chandler Park.
See more coverage from WXYZ about AI data centers in metro Detroit here
Detroiter Damian Carlisle said the development could bring new life to the area.
“Maybe some apartments. Just living or something," Carlisle said.
But he supports members of the city council who recently passed a measure, asking the mayor for a moratorium of two years before supporting a new AI data center.
“What do you think about building a center like that here?" I asked.
"I don’t think it should go right here," Carlisle said.
After putting out a request for proposal last fall for two sites at 11031 & 11081 Shoemaker, the city recently took in proposals that include an AI data center.
However, economic and environmental concerns raised by leaders have the mayor now reviewing the council's request, so as to allow more time to gather information, as other communities have already done.
“I’d rather see them in the suburbs, in the city, they should be rebuilding for the city to come back," Carlisle said.
“They’re going to suck up all our resources. Enormous amounts of energy. You know, Simon, it’s the highest two bills residents get. Electrical and water. Extremely high," Councilwoman Mary Waters added.
Waters said she's not yet fully decided on the topic of building data centers in Detroit.
“I’m always reluctant to say outright no, unless I know all the facts. But, based on research thus far, it’s not a good thing for our communities," Waters added.
She too shares concerns about water & electricity use, plus what the long-term effects could be.
While the site is smaller than others in metro Detroit, where similar plans have moved forward, Waters tells me she hopes to learn more in the months ahead.
The mayor's office acknowledges that the request for a two-year moratorium is being vetted. I've also confirmed there are no specific City of Detroit regulations pertaining to data centers.
Other city departments are also looking into this, but so far, it's unknown which company is behind that proposal. Given how early it is in the process, DTE is also not saying much since details are not yet available.
