WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Work has already begun on a massive, controversial data center north of Michigan Avenue in Saline Township.
A parade of trucks could be seen hauling earth away from the 575-acre site Wednesday morning, where heavy equipment was leveling several swaths of land. The “Stargate” data center for ChatGPT creator OpenAI and tech giant Oracle has been a contentious project for township residents and officials alike.
The Saline Township Board of Trustees initially attempted to block conditional rezoning of farmland for the project but later settled a lawsuit with Dallas-based development firm Related Digital – which led to the plot being rezoned for data center use. Residents have attempted to block development with legal action of their own.
As part of the settlement, Related Digital has agreed to contribute $14 million to the township and three local fire departments, including departments in Saline, Manchester and Clinton Township…