Dowagiac City Council denies a petition for a Moratorium on Data Center expansion

CASS COUNTY, Mich. -- Dowagiac residents packed City Hall Monday night after learning of a proposed expansion of the city’s existing Hyperscale AI data center.

The expansion project was outlined in a press release from the company, and Dowagiac have made it clear that the city has not received an official application for the expansion.

While there was no agenda item for Monday evenings council meeting to discuss the expansion, city leaders heard a resolution to review the city’s industrial zoning ordinances, particularly focused on updating how the ordinance handles noise pollution. This resolution passed unanimously.

Prior to the meeting, residents organized a rally to voice concerns about the potential environmental, energy and quality-of-life impacts of the potential large-scale expansion.

“There are significant concerns about the environment, about the energy use,” said Gerik Maverick, a candidate for Michigan’s 37th House District. “Now we’re relying on utility companies and big tech companies to do good, and that doesn’t seem like a bet I’m willing to make.”

Residents presented a petition signed by more than 100 people calling for a moratorium — a several-month pause — on any data center expansion to allow time for further research into potential safety and environmental risks. The signatures were collected over a 6 hour period, between a town hall meeting over the weekend and the rally.

“This is not a community that’s going to take it sitting down,” one resident said during public comment.

Multiple speakers urged the council to amend the meeting agenda to include a vote on the proposed moratorium, arguing that preventative action should be taken before the company submits a formal application for the expansion.

Mayor Patrick Bakeman said he has researched moratoriums but does not believe one is appropriate for Dowagiac at this time. He also sought to address health and safety concerns, noting the existing hyperscale data center has operated in the city for four years without formal complaints brought to the council.

“We have an obligation to pursue business in this city,” Bakeman said. “But I want to pursue that until we know what it looks like. Until I get a site plan, I am not in favor of doing a moratorium.”