Members of the Lansing Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to recommend the city council rezone a patch of land near the Grand River planned for a 24-megawatt data center.
While the commission previously rejected the rezoning request from U.K.-based data center company Deep Green, some commissioners shifted their stance, voting 5-2 in favor of the resubmitted request.
At present, the patch of land between Cedar and Larch Street holds a parking lot. However, if city council approves both the rezoning request and the sale of the land, the 2.5 acres would be redeveloped to host both a data center and a 16-megawatt fuel cell plant to supply energy to the facility.
During their presentation to the planning commission, Deep Green representatives noted that the company has had several of its promises written into its buy-sell agreement and its contract with the Board of Water and Light to ensure they’re legally binding. These include commitments to local noise limits, paying for all required energy infrastructure up front, and offering the city the right to buy back the land if the project doesn’t move forward within two years…