(WXYZ) — Developers are pushing hard to build a massive data center on Milford Road in Lyon Township, dubbed Project Flex, and are preparing to submit their fourth application this week.
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Nancy Hopkins lives within a half mile of the proposed project and has been advocating against it with the group, No Data Center Lyon Township, says for now it's a waiting game.
"We can't really do much until it's approved totally," Hopkins said.
The project, known as Project Flex, is being developed by Verrus with Walbridge serving as the general contractor. On May 27, attorney Benjamin E. Bayram of Dykema Gossett, representing Verrus, submitted a Final Site Plan response letter arguing the project meets all applicable township codes, zoning ordinances, and Planning Commission conditions since its initial September 8, 2025, approval.
Since then, developer Verrus has been working with township officials to address conditions tied to that approval and provide additional details.
"In working with the township and, and really thinking through what they're, what they're asking and the feedback from the community, we decided that there was an opportunity here to go even farther, go even more above and beyond in terms of bringing more information earlier in the process," Nelson Abramson, CEO of Verrus, said.
FULL COVERAGE: DATA CENTER DEBATE IN SE MICHIGAN
The township says a fourth application was submitted Monday, withdrawn the next day with plans to resubmit later this week, including more details on noise, lighting and the location of a drainage pond.
"I think it very much should be the final plan. We have, we've gone well above and beyond what ordinance requires, trying to just be fundamentally responsive to the questions," Abramson said.
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To sweeten the deal, Verrus is also touting a proposed $10 million community benefits package: $5 million for a Community Infrastructure and Resiliency Fund, a $2 million Public Safety Fund, and a $3 million Education and Workforce Training Fund.
"Which is a binding agreement negotiated between the developer ourselves and the township in terms of what's going to be the most useful and meaningful kind of investments that we can make. So that the township benefits and the local voters feel like they're getting direct benefits from the development as opposed to it just sort of being this, this abstract, vague thing that maybe is happening," Abramson said.
Abramson says the company is committed to being a good neighbor and defended the project’s broader economic benefits, citing projections of 210 permanent jobs, 1,500 to 2,000 construction jobs, and approximately $300 million in tax revenue over 17 years.
"I take it very seriously that what we build in Lyon, what we build in any community is gonna be a good neighbor. It's gonna be there a long time. We're building these projects for 30+ year time horizons, and we don't want to start off on a bad foot. We want to be partners with the communities and it, and it, and it really does matter to me and it matters to the whole team, that what we build fits into the community, delivers the value that we say it's ... going to deliver and that, we're fundamentally good neighbors," said Abramson.
But some community members say the package does little to move them or convince them of that.
"10 million dollars is nothing compared to the impact of our community, Dolsen Elementary, the children, what they're going to have to face, it's not worth $10 million," Hopkins said.
Hopkins says community members have been getting unwanted mailers about Project Flex while battling with a lack of transparency.
"For us to get information, we have to go and we have to send out Freedom of Information Act requests because it's not on the township, so that's no disclosure. And we want disclosure. We want something honest, we want them to be upfront and they're not," said Hopkins.
Paul Lavoie, who lives near the site added that it is hard to trust the motives behind the package.
"They're trying to shove it down our throats and bribe, so I hope the board tells them no," Paul Lavoie, who lives less than a mile away, said.
Verrus has requested final approval, with review anticipated at the Lyon Township Planning Commission's Monday, Aug. 24 meeting.
"The township has to say yes or no and if the township says no and Verrus or Verrus and Walbridge say 'we're gonna sue ya.' Fine. Let's go to court," said Robin, who also lives less than a mile away.
As residents continue to voice their opinions, we asked if Verrus would support ongoing third-party monitoring and publicly available reporting regarding noise emissions and water usage.
"We're certainly open to the conversation. I think the details, the details would matter, but I think that something along those lines could certainly make sense. And I have no concerns about whether the data center that we build is going to deliver on the promises and live within the boundaries that we're, we are committing to live within," said Abramson.
Key project commitments include:
- A closed-loop cooling system using approximately 99% less water than traditional data centers, with total annual water usage under 12 million gallons.
- Noise levels projected to remain at or below 50 dB(A) at property boundaries at all times, meeting nighttime ordinance standards continuously.
- Elimination of traditional diesel generators as primary backup power, replacing them with battery energy storage systems and limited natural gas emergency generators for safety systems.
- Extensive landscaping plans with approximately 1,300 trees, hundreds of shrubs, native prairie seed mixes, and drought-tolerant turf.
- Additional fire protection measures beyond Township minimum standards.
- Wastewater monitoring infrastructure that allows direct Township oversight.
- Self-funded improvements to the New Hudson Drain that also support broader traffic and infrastructure projects.
- A campus lighting plan designed to eliminate light spillover at property lines.
- 404 parking spaces despite no ordinance requirement for data center parking.
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