Data center opponents rally outside Dorr Twp seminar

DORR TOWNSHIP — More than 50 people gathered outside Dorr Township Hall Monday as municipal officials from across West Michigan attended an invitation-only seminar concerning large-scale data centers.
Protesters stood near the corner of Leisure Street and 142nd Avenue and outside the township hall entrance, carrying “No Data Center” signs and chanting as officials arrived.
Many of the participants represented Dorr Township MI, We the People, a residents’ organization opposing Microsoft’s potential development in the township. Other demonstrators came from communities facing similar projects, including Gaines, Lowell and Solon townships.
The seminar was organized by Professional Code Inspections, a private Allegan County-based company that provides building inspections, permitting, planning and zoning services to Dorr Township and numerous other West Michigan municipalities.
PCI owner Kirk Scharphorn estimated that approximately 110 elected and appointed officials from Allegan, Barry, Kent and other counties attended.
Scharphorn said the seminar was intended to educate municipal officials about data centers generally and was not organized around Microsoft’s proposed Dorr Township development. He said attendance was limited because of the size of the room, not because organizers intended to exclude the public.
Residents nevertheless questioned why they were not permitted to attend a seminar about an issue generating significant public debate across the region.
Linda Dumond, a Dorr Township resident and leader of the local We the People organization, said residents asked that the seminar be opened to the public but were turned down.
“We’re worried about what gets said behind closed doors,” Dumond said.
Some officials stopped before entering the building and told protesters they were attending to listen and learn. Demonstrators said their goal was to make certain those officials heard the concerns of residents as well as information presented during the seminar.
“It is a seminar. Yes. So technically, it’s not really a meeting,” Dorr resident Michelle Holcomb said. “The trust is gone, and we have issues with that right now.”
Microsoft purchased nearly 272 acres near 144th Avenue, 14th Street and U.S. 131 in 2024, according to Allegan County property records and previous reports by WGVU Public Media, FOX 17 and the industry publication Data Center Dynamics.
The company reportedly paid more than $48 million for two parcels. Previous information about the potential project indicated that approximately 128 acres could be developed as a data center campus.
The property is reportedly zoned for commercial and industrial use. Microsoft has not submitted a finalized development plan or publicly announced a construction schedule for the site.
Microsoft previously acknowledged acquiring the Dorr Township land for possible data center development but said the details and construction timeline had not been completed. The company said it would continue communicating with local officials and residents as its plans progress.
Responding to growing concerns nationally about the demands data centers place on local resources, Microsoft announced earlier this year that it intends to pay utility rates sufficient to cover its electricity costs and work with utilities to develop additional power supplies when necessary.
The company also pledged to replenish more water than its facilities consume and publish regional information about data center water use. Specific water and electrical requirements for the Dorr Township site, however, have not been publicly disclosed.
That uncertainty remains a major concern for opponents.
Dorr Township does not have municipal water and sewer service, leaving homes and businesses dependent on groundwater and private wells. Dumond said residents need to know how much water the proposed facility would require and whether its operation could affect the local aquifer.
“I’m very concerned that it could affect all of our wells,” she said.
Residents have also raised concerns about electrical demand, noise, traffic, farmland loss, emergency services and the possibility that a large industrial campus could permanently alter the township’s rural character.
More than 50 residents attended a December township meeting after Microsoft’s ownership and potential plans became widely known. Opposition continued to grow during the winter, with nearly 100 people attending a separate community meeting in February.
In early March, the Dorr Township Board approved a 12-month moratorium on data center development. The pause, expected to remain in place until approximately March 2027, is intended to give township officials time to study the issue and consider appropriate zoning regulations.
Dorr is not alone. Data center proposals have generated packed meetings, moratoriums and public opposition in several Michigan communities. More than 300 people reportedly attempted to attend a Gaines Township Planning Commission meeting concerning another Microsoft proposal, forcing officials to halt the meeting after attendance exceeded the building’s capacity.
The Michigan Economic Development Corp. has since assembled planning resources to help local governments evaluate data center proposals, including potential effects on utilities, infrastructure, land use and community services.
A Caledonia resident affiliated with Together Gaines said Monday’s turnout and the supportive honking from passing motorists demonstrated that opposition extends beyond Dorr Township.
Janet Zahn of the Grand Rapids Climate Coalition said she traveled from Grand Rapids to support residents in Dorr, Gaines, Lowell and Solon townships.
Dumond said she believes a substantial majority of Dorr Township residents oppose Microsoft’s potential development.
Monday’s protest demonstrated that even while the township’s moratorium remains in place, the debate over data centers—and over how local officials obtain and share information about them—is far from settled.