What does the Saline Township data center agreement mean for the Manchester area?

Rendering of proposed data center being built in Saline Township on US-12. Image from Related Digital’s Project Overview.

by Sara Swanson

News broke early last week that Saline Township, the development firm Related Digital, and three landowners reached an agreement so that a proposed data center could be built. While the data center is being built in Saline Township, this agreement does have some ramifications for the Manchester area. 

First, data centers require vast amounts of electricity and can require vast amounts of water. Saline Township is serviced by DTE, which is the service provider for the eastern half of the Manchester area. Related Digital asserts that the data center will have a positive impact on the grid and will not raise electric rates. Additionally, groundwater usage can affect water supplies of surrounding areas. We do know that as part of the agreement, the data center cannot use high-water evaporative cooling and water use will be limited to restrooms, landscaping, humidity control, fire protection, and maintenance.

More directly than these concerns, however, as a condition of sale, Related Digital was required to purchase 476 acres in Bridgewater Township. They committed to the Bridgewater Township board before the sale that they will not develop the Bridgewater property and that they will continue to use and/or lease the land in a manner consistent with the current agricultural zoning of the property. They also stated that they will increase landscaping, vegetation, buffering, and berming along the eastern edge of the Bridgewater property to reduce visibility of the data center development in Saline Township. While some of the property acquired in the sale is being protected from development with a conservation easement, the Bridgewater property is not. So while Related Digital has committed to not developing the property, there is no guarantee that the property won’t be sold and developed by a new owner. However, after the agreement was announced, Related Digital reiterated their commitment to not developing the Bridgewater property and added that they have no plans to sell it either.

Lastly, Manchester Township Fire Department will be receiving a payment of $500,000 as part of the agreement, presumably as a neighboring fire department that would be called upon for assistance in the case of a large fire in Saline Township. Clinton Township’s fire department is also receiving $500,000, and the Saline Area Fire Department is receiving $7 million. Mike Kouba, Manchester Township Fire Department chief, stated that as of Wednesday, neither the Manchester Township Fire Department nor Manchester Township had received any official correspondence about the situation and also learned that the payment had been included in the agreement from the news coverage.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.