Charlevoix County planners urge caution on Wilson Township data‑center zoning changes
Summary
The planning commission asked Wilson Township to add size‑specific definitions, technical submittal requirements and monitoring/decommissioning standards to proposed data‑center zoning amendments and voted to send staff comments; commissioners also suggested a moratorium while model language is developed.
The Charlevoix County Planning Commission voted to send written comments to Wilson Township urging more detailed regulation of data centers and cautioning against allowing them adjacent to rural homes.
Planning Director Kiersten Stark reviewed the township’s draft amendments, which would add a definition of “data center” and permit data centers as a special use in the Industrial district. Stark told commissioners the draft treats all data centers the same and lacks technical application submittal requirements, design and performance standards tailored to different facility sizes, and any provisions for monitoring and decommissioning. She said communities commonly distinguish hyper‑scale facilities from smaller operations and that a one‑size‑fits‑all approach would leave gaps in oversight.
Commissioners raised practical concerns. Marshal Bakker said a landowner on an adjacent RR‑2 parcel could end up with a data center 25 feet from a home under the current setbacks and asked where enforcement and protections for adjacent properties would come from. Chair Nancy Ferguson said “it’s scary to think that data centers would be allowed adjacent to Rural Residential uses,” and recommended education for commissioners and residents before changes are adopted.
Several commissioners suggested pausing to await model ordinance language. Bakker noted the Michigan Townships Association is developing sample text and said a moratorium or a more deliberate drafting process might better reflect township preferences. Commissioner Sherm Chamberlain and others argued the issue is countywide and should be considered during the next County Future Land Use Plan update.
Motion and outcome: Commissioner Pam Grassmick moved to forward the Planning Commission’s comments to Wilson Township for consideration; Matt Cunningham seconded. The voice vote was unanimous and the motion carried.
What happens next: Planning staff will incorporate the commission’s feedback into a comment letter to Wilson Township. The township may revise its draft ordinance, seek model language from MTA, or consider a moratorium; the commission recommended legal review for any moratorium ordinance.
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