STERLING HEIGHTS (WWJ) -- A Macomb County city is joining a handful of others in Michigan to put a temporary stop on data centers.
The Sterling Heights City Council voted to approve a one year moratorium, giving them time to do more research into this topic, and to update an 1978 ordinance.
Councilman Michael Radtke said he was happy to support this move, as the city's ordinance was made well before the emergence of AI and large-scale data developments.
"The original regulations that this pertains to were adopted in 1978, before I was born, and before computers were as powerful as as energy-hungry and everything them as now," Radke said.
"Right now, these are allowed by right. You can build them in any industrial district, and in several different commercial districts by right. Right now we're putting a stop to that, so we have smart regulations to protect our residents. We're not saying we're going to put (a data center) in, but we at least have to have some regulation in place."
City Planner Dr. Jake Parcell said, although they don't have any proposals for for a data center in Sterling Heights at the moment, they want to make sure they're prepared in the future.
"We also want to make sure that we are understanding fully the jobs that are being created here, and the demand of water and electricity around these uses," Parcell said, "because it's a bit of an uncertainty right now, based on the different size of the center."
"So, while I mentioned that it's not likely that we get a proposal for a 230-acre data center, it's very possible that we get one for a much smaller one," he said. "And while we would like to see investment in our industrial corridor always, we want to make sure it's being done in a smart and sensible way."
There's no space in the city right now for a hyperscale center across a couple hundred acres, but buildings around 100,000 square feet could serve as data centers.