Resident urges council to preempt high-impact data-center development, citing water and air concerns

In public comment resident David Berger told the council he supports current township work but urged proactive zoning changes to reduce the likelihood that data centers locate in residential areas.

Berger said he does not currently oppose a particular project but urged council to announce zoning plans that would prioritize mixed-use residential development and limit high-impact industrial uses. He warned that federal exemptions and executive actions have left municipalities with limited regulatory leverage and recommended the township take all available legal steps to guide the zoning hearing board.

Berger raised specific environmental concerns tied to closed-loop cooling systems commonly used by data centers. He said such systems sometimes discharge a small percentage of circulating fluid (a "bleed-off"), which can contain chemicals that increase corrosivity and introduce PFAS-adjacent compounds into public water systems. Berger cited an example in Cheyenne, Washington, where cooling-system discharges caused water-quality problems and asked council to require clarity on cooling-system chemicals and anticipated wastewater impacts so the township can plan for capital burdens on treatment and distribution systems.

Council thanked him for the comments and noted that zoning and any related hearings will follow statutory processes; staff said zoning questions and any public hearing processes will be documented and forwarded to the appropriate bodies for response.