(WXYZ) — We have been covering the data center debate in metro Detroit for nearly a year now, but there are still few local examples of what it will be like when they are up and running.
One of the most common areas of concern is the noise they could emit.
FULL COVERAGE: DATA CENTER DEBATE IN SE MICHIGAN
Well, one Michigan community has been experiencing the reality of a data center next door for a couple of years now, and they say the sound has changed their lives.
“It sounds like someone set up a vacuum, like in your living room. And the vacuum is just... that thing needs to be cleaned ... the filter is clogged up, so it’s a high-pitch whining. And they just left it on and walked out," said Lindy Valenzula.
“You’ve seen movies and stuff where they have somebody in a cell torturing them with sound. And that’s basically what it is," said Billy Finn.
Lindy Valenzuela and Marjorie & Billy Finn are neighbors who all live directly across the street from a data center in Dowagiac, Michigan.
The data center is known by residents as "Hyperscale Data." It is owned by Alliance Cloud Services LLC, a company based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
They say that for the past couple of years, it has been emitting a high-pitched sound, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
But it wasn’t always like this. Marjorie says her house has been in her family for nearly 100 years.
“I love this house because it has so much feel of my past," said Marjorie Finn. “All of our friends are here, all our support systems.”
And they love their town.
“With Marge’s condition, there’s people from the church, ladies from the church that’s willing to ... come sit with her for an hour or so,” said Billy Finn.
Marjorie has Parkinson’s.
They explained that life on their dead-end street, Louise Avenue, was mostly quiet and peaceful, even though for decades there had always been an industrial building across the street, behind a row of pine trees.
They say in 2018, things began to change drastically. The trees came out, a loading dock went in. And around 2021, a cryptocurrency mining operation began. In 2024, they say the noise from the building began around the clock.
“Even if it’s cooler out, we can’t open our windows like we used to," said Marjorie. “It’s just amazing how much it’s changed our life.”
In March, Dowagiac city leaders adopted the first-ever industrial noise ordinance for the city. It sets a daytime decibel limit of 65 and a nighttime limit of 55.
According to the city manager, they fined Hyperscale Data for violating the ordinance. Hyperscale is challenging the city's readings and methodology.
For months, Hyperscale Data has been touting plans for expansion, despite city leaders saying they were left in the dark and that no expansion permits had been submitted.
Last week, at the invitation of Dowagiac's mayor, the CEO of Hyperscale Data, William Horne, spoke directly to city residents at a special council meeting.
Horne explained that the company plans to invest $100 million to expand AI computing and advanced robotics at the facility, and pivot away from cryptocurrency mining.
He also said they would make multiple efforts to reduce sound levels.
"If they still aren't happy, and feel that their home isn't enjoyable, then we'll buy their property from them," said William Horne, CEO of Hyperscale Data, at the meeting in regards to residents on Louise Avenue.
Dozens of residents spoke out passionately at the meeting, none in support of Hyperscale.
"Why didn't you consider the residents when the noise continued to get louder and louder and louder? Something should have been done before it got out of sight," said John Valdez, a Dowagiac resident.
"The bottom line here is you are not a good neighbor. Your business has been sneaky, uncooperative with local ordinances," said Kate Whitehall, another Dowagiac resident.
Lindy Valenzuela explained why she's now a plaintiff in a first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit over allegations of excessive noise from the data center.
“In the summer, when it got really hot like it is now, the fan noise just exceeds such a level to where we can’t even enjoy being outside more than a few minutes without either of us getting a headache," said Valenzuela.
She’s currently pregnant and has a 17-month-old boy.
“His nursery is on the side of the house that faces the data center. And when we’re putting him down for bed at night, you can hear the fans coming in through the window. He can hear it in his crib. And that just worries me," she said.
Laura Sheets is a partner at Liddle Sheets and Lindy's attorney in the case.
“The allegations in the lawsuit are nuisance and negligence essentially. Nuisance obviously being we’re saying it’s a substantial interference with your ability to use or enjoy your property. And negligence by way of saying you could operate in a way that would make you a better neighbor, but you’re either failing to do that or you need to be doing something better in place of that," said Sheets.
“A lot of people don’t know that the law actually, in most states, you have nuisance laws that irrespective of whether they’re violating the municipal code or not, they don’t have the right to cause a substantial interference with your use and enjoyment of your property," she said.
To learn more about what the science says when it comes to data center sound, we reached out to Rick Neitzel, professor of Environmental Health Sciences, at the University of Michigan.
“This is kind of an unprecedented new noise source that’s being introduced into a lot of communities," said Neitzel. “We now know pretty definitively that noise in communities at high enough levels is associated with things like high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, depression, cognitive decline; the list goes on.”
“Everything should have been done to prevent this. It was not necessary. To just come in here and not recognize what this would do to our lives," said Marjorie.
Hyperscale Data has recently acquired dozens of additional acres adjacent to the current property that they say they plan to use as a natural buffer.
Hyperscale Data issued the following statement to 7 News Detroit:
"We have been part of Dowagiac for five years, and take the recent concerns raised by residents seriously. As we complete our operational transition away from cryptocurrency mining and toward AI compute infrastructure and advanced robotics, we intend to do our part to help reduce overall sound levels in the area. Roughly half of the mining equipment is already offline, and we expect the rest to be shut down completely within the next three months.
Over the next three years, our investment in these new operations is expected to create up to 500 new jobs in Dowagiac. The new roles will include robotics engineers, AI data specialists, infrastructure and operations staff, as well as entry-level positions that provide opportunities for people beginning a technical career. We remain committed to being a good neighbor and believe the steps we are taking reflect that."
