Hayes Township Data Center Advisory Committee purpose
Hayes Township is aggressively rewriting its zoning ordinance to accommodate data centers… and meeting in secret
Hayes Township started aggressively incorporating data centers into its Master Plan starting in January 2026 and is now studying ways to change its Zoning Ordinance to accommodate them. In January the Board of Trustees passed a moratorium resolution (not an ordinance) to pause data center development and later revised it to 12 months, but committing to revising the current zoning ordinance in order to regulate data centers.
The ball got rolling when township planning commissioners met with County planning commissioners at the county’s December 2025 meeting. County Planning Commissioner Sherm Chamberlain told the Hayes folks that Big Rock Nuclear Power plant’s site would be “ideal” for a data center.
From the County planning commission minutes:
S. Chamberlain said he recently attended a meeting hosted by the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity. One of the topics discussed was data centers. They recommended that local units of government address data centers in their zoning ordinances. He noted that Big Rock Point has all of the features that a data center developer would be looking for, which is a minimum of 500 acres, the ability to cool the data center, and access to power lines. He added that Governor Whitmer was excited about plans to restart the nuclear reactor at the decommissioned Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, which could have implications for the Big Rock property. S. Chamberlain recommended addressing the topic of data centers in the Hayes Township Master Plan, including how they would be powered.
From a transcript of the meeting:
Chamberlain: “I went to a Office of Rural Prosperity meeting, and they mentioned data centers and how you folks, how zoning boards should address it. When you look at Big Rock Point and all the original Big Rock Point property, that’s over 500 acres. Well, they said for a data center, you need at least 500 acres there. And what they’re looking at is the ability to cool the center, which Big Rock can do that. Access to power lines, there’s power lines there. And then recently, Governor Whitmer was excited about a small modular reactor being approved for their Palisades Park. You know, could a small or micro nuclear reactor be put on that property? So, you folks should address data centers and how you power them. You should. Or else, you will have probably no say so on what gets done there.“
Currently the Hayes Township Zoning Ordinance Industrial Zoning District does not allow industries that produce noise
That’s pretty darn good! Why would you change that? Another zone, Commercial, would allow “business and personal services” which the Planning Commission Chair claims opens the door to data centers, but that can simply be better defined.
The Hayes Township Data Center Advisory Committee
As of May 20, the advisory committee met three times in secret, without the public being able to attend or hear the deliberations. After a public meeting (not well publicized, not on Zoom, no microphones) on May 20, the Committee heard from the public that they should not meet in secret. However they stated their plan was to continue to meet privately and only occasionally when they have something to “report” would they again hold a meeting open to the public.
The Committee consists of Planning Commission Chair Roy Griffitts, Township Treasurer Julie Collard, and residents Joe McHugh (who works for Great Lakes Energy), Mary Jo Smith, Brandon Vigliarolo, first alternate Henry Zielinski and second alternate Jon Purdy.
Holtec employee, Planning Commissioner Alexander Curley, was going to head up the committee. When residents objected to his participation, he claimed he had no conflict and remained on. After residents later learned and revealed that Holtec International announced plans to install data centers on its decommissioned nuke sites, Curley reluctantly stepped down, complaining bitterly at a meeting that he was “attacked personally.” Some continue to deny that Holtec’s direct conduit to data center law-writing in the Township is a conflict of interest.
Holtec and Great Lakes Energy should not have a seat on the Hayes Township Data Center Advisory Committee or the Planning Commission.