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Residents press Southfield over newly approved data center, citing health and transparency concerns
Summary
Residents pressed the council Jan. 12 to reconsider or better explain its recent approval of a site plan for a data center, citing a Dec. 1 Tech Spot article they say raised health concerns; city officials said the project followed public process, meets zoning and remains subject to permitting and oversight.
Residents used the communications portion of the Jan. 12 meeting to press the Southfield City Council for more information and possible recourse after the council’s recent approval of a site plan for a proposed MetroBLOX data center.
Reverend Danielle Bolton, who identified herself as a Southfield resident and leader of God Israel Ministries, cited an article she said appeared in Tech Spot (Rob Thurbin, Dec. 1, 2025) and asserted an Amazon data center in Oregon had been linked to "rare cancers and miscarriages." "I wanted to bring that up because...the article cited how the increased chemical toxins in the form of the nitrate concentration increased," Bolton said, and asked why another data center was necessary in a city that already has multiple facilities.
Several other residents — including Regina Favors and Olivia Duvall — said they did not see the need for another data center in Southfield and asked what recourse residents have now that the council has voted. "You have already voted to approve the data center. Am I correct? What recourse do we as citizens have now that you have done that?" Regina Favors asked.
Mayor Seiber read an official city statement responding to residents’ concerns: the proposal was reviewed through a public process that included five public meetings beginning in October, the use is permitted in the regional center (RC) zoning district and therefore did not require rezoning or a formal public hearing, and the project remains subject to permits, environmental regulations, performance standards and ongoing compliance and enforcement by the city, Oakland County and the state of Michigan. The mayor said the proposed facility would be developed on approximately 12 acres with a two-story building of about 200,000 square feet, would not be intended as an artificial-intelligence repository and would use a closed-loop cooling system "resulting in minimal long term water use." The mayor also cited a Michigan law enacted in February 2023 that he said bars passing data-center electricity costs on to local consumers.
Pro Tem Hogue told the room he did not want residents to believe the council had chosen "money over health," and said many decisions are constrained by charter and zoning requirements. Staff reiterated that city oversight continues during permitting and that the project must comply with state and county regulations.
The transcript records residents’ concerns and the city’s procedural response; council members and staff urged anyone with documentation to provide it so staff may follow up. No new regulatory actions or reversals were announced at the meeting.
